Three lawmakers from Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's party defected to the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday after a dispute between the two leaders.
The island nation was plunged into crisis in October after Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa, without the backing of parliament, leading to protests and downgrades of Sri Lanka's debt.
Rajapaksa, best known for crushing a long-running insurgency in the north of the country and drawing Sri Lanka closer to China, failed to win a parliamentary majority and resigned Saturday as a government shutdown loomed.
Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe looks on during a parliament session in Colombo, Dec. 12, 2018. On Sunday he was reinstated as prime minister, ending a political crisis.
Wickremesinghe was then sworn in as prime minister for the fifth time in a remarkable comeback.
"We joined the government … as the party and the country have been dragged into a difficult position," Vijith Wijayamuni Soysa, one of the three lawmakers, told parliament.
With the latest defections, Wickremesinghe has the backing of 120 legislators in the 225-member parliament.
Sirisena told a party gathering later Tuesday that he would not allow any defector to be sworn in as a minister in Wickremesinghe's cabinet, which is yet to be appointed.
Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe looks on during a parliament session in Colombo, Dec. 12, 2018. On Sunday he was reinstated as prime minister, ending a political crisis. VOA
On Thursday, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament before the end of its term was unconstitutional, a judgment that eventually led to the return of Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
Also Read: Sri Lanka's PM Gets Reinstated
Members of his ruling United National Party and at least six opposition MPs want to oust Sirisena through an impeachment, though that needs a two-thirds majority in parliament. (VOA)