Sri Lanka’s disputed prime minister resigned on Saturday, saying he wanted to end a long political impasse over his appointment and allow the president to form a new government. Sri Lanka’s disputed prime minister resigned on Saturday, saying he wanted to end a long political impasse over his appointment and allow the president to form a new government. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, a politician close to Mr Rajapaksa, told reporters on Friday that Mr Rajapaksa had decided to step down to end a crisis that began in October when Mr Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr Sirisena then named Mr Rajapaksa the new premier, but Parliament twice rejected the appointment. After his appointment as prime minister, he sought to secure a majority in the 225-member Parliament but failed.

Source: Irish Independent December 15, 2018 08:56 UTC