INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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The key players: Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe
What is
happening in Sri Lanka right now sits somewhere in between House of Cards, Game of Thrones and Shakespeare's darkest Roman plays
It involves a man who betrayed his leader only now to return him to power, an alleged murder plot, and two men laying claim to a grand white
mansion that is a symbol of political power.Here's what you need to know about the constitutional crisis gripping this island nation.What
set off this crisis This is complicated because there have been many twists and turns.Last week Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena
shocked the nation by sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, dissolving the cabinet, and suspending parliament
He said they hadn't been getting on.The president then - in what many saw as the bigger surprise - appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa, the man he
defeated in the 2015 presidential election, as the new PM
Mr Rajapaksa led Sri Lanka for a crucial period between 2005 and 2015 and oversaw the controversial end of the country's brutal
His family dominated Sri Lanka while he was in charge - and members of his inner circle were accused of corruption, war crimes and saddling
the country with billions of dollars of debt owed to China
The family deny wrongdoing, and remain popular, especially in rural areas
But India, the EU and the US are not happy to see his return, correspondents say.To be clear on the extent of this political U-turn by Sri
Lanka's president, you have to go back to the 2015 election
Mr Sirisena was accused of betraying Mr Rajapaksa because even though they belonged to the same political party, he teamed up with Ranil
Wickremesinghe to defeat him.Now that relationship has turned sour and Mr Sirisena has turned back to his old ally-turned-rival-turned-ally
again.So, Rajapaksa has taken officeNot exactly
Mr Wickremesinghe - the man who was sacked - is refusing to leave Temple Trees, the colonial-era bungalow that is the prime minister's
official residence.He says what the president has done is unconstitutional and that he remains the real prime minister
He wants parliament to be convened so MPs can vote on the matter.But Mr Sirisena has not yet allowed this to happen - and analysts say
that's because he knows no majority yet exists that would endorse Mr Rajapaksa as PM
The Sirisena-Rajapaksa alliance is however trying to turn Wickremesinghe loyalists over to their side with ministries and other concessions
Some in the ousted PM's party allege bribes have been offered, though MPs from Mr Rajapaksa's party deny this.However the wheels of
government have not stopped turning amid this crisis - Mr Rajapaksa has begun work and sworn in a cabinet
He, not Mr Wickremesinghe, is listed as prime minister on the official government website
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Mr Rajapaksa has immediately presented himself as the legitimate prime
minister
Why are people worriedThe situation is tense and there has already been one deadly confrontation.Mr
Wickremesinghe's supporters have formed a protective crowd at Temple Trees - and Buddhist monks have also been called there to chant
prayers, in a possible bid to deter police from using force to remove the sacked PM.A parliamentary vote could defuse the crisis - but even
then, supporters from the losing side could take to the streets in anger
There is also disquiet in some quarters about the implications of Mahinda Rajapaksa's return to power
Quite apart from the controversial end to the civil war he oversaw an era, which rights groups and UN human rights officials say, saw
extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and the rise of hardline Buddhist nationalism
He has always denied any connection with illegal activity, but activists fear his return could mean none of the allegations will be properly
What are the roots of the sagaIt depends on who you talk to
In a long address to the nation over the weekend, President Sirisena said tensions had been building up between him and his PM for years
He called Mr Wickremesinghe both arrogant and stubborn.He has also linked him to a controversial central bank bond sale, which is alleged to
The president also alleged that a cabinet minister was involved in a plot to kill him and that police had obstructed an
investigation.However, if you were to talk to Mr Wickremesinghe, he would say the roots of this crisis lie entirely in what he sees as the
illegitimate actions of Mr Sirisena
It's true that many analysts say that the coalition government the two formed was likely to collapse because of the fractured
relationship.But the way it happened has taken many by surprise.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Supporters of Mr
Wickremesinghe have been gathering outside the official residence he is refusing to leave
So is it even legalA number of
constitutional experts have said the sacking of Mr Wickremesinghe is not legal
Under the constitution, as amended three years ago, the president does not have the power to remove the prime minister, says constitutional
expert Dr Nihal Jayawickrama.In fact under the 19th Amendment, almost all of the president's executive powers were taken away, he says
This amendment was introduced by both Mr Sirisena and Mr Wickremesinghe.According to Mr Jayawickrama "only parliament can constitutionally
remove a prime minister".There is a provision that the person most likely to command the confidence of parliament should be named as prime
minister, but Mr Wickremesinghe is the leader of the largest party and easily won a no confidence motion earlier this year
The president has cited a part of the constitution that allows him to appoint a prime minister as the basis for his removal of Mr
Wickremesinghe - but some constitutional experts have cast doubt on the validity of that argument
What is the context Sri Lanka is a country that spent decades sunk in a brutal and bloody civil war between the government and the
separatist Tamil Tigers, which ended with accusations of human rights atrocities on both sides
Mahinda Rajapaksa was in charge when many accused the government of killing thousands of civilians hemmed into a thin strip of land at the
end of the war - the army always denied this.Eventually the country once again became a top tourist destination and achieved the semblance
of stability - but this unprecedented crisis puts that reputation at risk.The EU has already threatened to stop Sri Lanka's lucrative
duty-free trade access to the world's biggest single market if it rows back on commitments to human rights and reconciliation between the
majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil communities.
