SL: Letter to Sirsena to seal Rajapaksa's ousting

After the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka interfered with the government on Tuesday by issuing an interim order staying the proclamation issued by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve the country's Parliament, Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has decided to send Sirisena a copy of a letter signed by 122 Members of the Parliament which will deem the recent appointment of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Cabinet of ministers is 'unconstitutional'.

Sri Lanka has been undergoing a political crisis after President Sirisena sacked former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with the current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26.

Following which, the judiciary had to come out in defense of democracy and against the autocratic forces by passing a no-confidence motion today in the Sri Lankan Parliament motion against the government of the newly-sworn Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, with a majority of 122 members.

The U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Alaina B. Teplitz also took to twitter and said, "Honored to attend reconvening of #Srilanka Parliament this morning to see #democracy in action. Very lively but glad this institution is once again fulfilling constitutional role"

Meanwhile, Lakshman Kiriella, a member of the Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party, along with the approval of the House proposed to adjourn the House until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.

The Sri Lankan Parliament held its first session ever since the political crisis struck the nation.

Member of Parliament, M.A. Sumanthiran, from the Tamil National Alliance, moved that the business of the House be proceeded suspending the Standing Orders of the Parliament.

Accordingly, a division was moved for suspending the Standing Orders, following which, the said orders were suspended with the approval of the majority of the Members.

Thereafter, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Member of Parliament from Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, moved a no-confidence motion against the government. Vijitha Herath, Member of Parliament from the same party seconded the motion.

They further moved that a division should be held for the same today itself.

Then the Opposition party moved a division for that, and after the division bell was rung, the Speaker ordered for voting and the no-confidence motion was passed against President Rajapaksa with a majority.