COLOMBO, Nov 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lanka’s parliament descended into
chaos on Thursday with MPs swinging punches and throwing projectiles a day
after legislators voted the prime minister out of office.
“It was difficult to make out immediately who was hitting whom, but
several were hurt, but not seriously,” an official in parliament told AFP.
“The speaker adjourned the House temporarily.”
One legislator was hospitalised, he added.
Sri Lanka has endured nearly three weeks of crisis after President
Maithripala Sirisena fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and
replaced him with Mahinda Rajapakse on October 26.
Sirisena then dissolved the strategically important Indian Ocean nation’s
parliament and called snap elections.
However these moves were suspended by the Supreme Court earlier this week
pending an investigation.
On Wednesday parliament reconvened and lawmakers approved a motion of no-
confidence in Rajapakse’s cabinet, also passing motions declaring Sirisena’s
moves as illegal.