Protesters hold candlelit vigil after Sri Lanka's president dissolves parliament
1,186 views · Published 17 November 2018 · 2:35 · Indexed 12 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(12 Nov 2018) Sri Lankan politicians and civil society members in their hundreds held a candlelit vigil on Sunday to protest against the president's decision to dissolve parliament. The protesters said Sri Lanka's democracy was in crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena called for fresh elections. Constitutional experts argue whether Sirisena's action is legal with a provision in the constitution stating that the Parliament cannot be dissolved before 4 ½ years from the day of its first sitting. Sirisena dissolved Parliament after his attempts to secure the backing of 113 members in the 225-member Parliament failed. He has called for elections on January 5. The crisis began on October 26 when Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. Wickremesinghe said his sacking was unconstitutional and still occupies the official residence. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d091a125bb2a8ebbbc90072b7482504d
