Colombo

Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government by a voice vote after lawmakers supporting him tried to disrupt proceedings.

“I urge all parliamentarians to uphold principles of democracy, parliamentary traditions at all times,” President Maithripala Sirisena said in a tweet. “I will not prorogue parliament under any circumstances.”

Sri Lanka was plunged into a political crisis after Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with his former rival Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Wickremesinghe, who dubbed the move as a "constitutional coup", has refused to vacate his official residence, saying he is the lawful prime minister and that the president has no constitutional right to replace him.

The sudden constitutional crisis came amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on several policy matters and the President has been critical of the Prime Minister and his policies, especially on economy and security.

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