Ranil arrives at Presidential Secretariat to swear in as PM

The leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived at the Presidential Secretariat, a short while ago, to be sworn in as the Prime Minister, Ada Derana reporter said.

He is expected to take oath at an auspicious time this morning followed by religious observances.

Wickremesinghe is expected to return as Prime Minister, likely ending a political crisis that began in late October when he was surprisingly ousted.

President Maithripala Sirisena had replaced Wickremesinghe with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26 following differences over policy making and other issues.

However, Rajapaksa failed to win a parliamentary majority and resigned on Saturday as a government shutdown loomed.

An official at the president’s office confirmed to Reuters that Wickremesinghe would be sworn in, which should help achieve parliamentary approval for a temporary budget that is required by Jan. 1.

Parliament voted to cut the budget for Rajapaksa and his ministers after Sirisena refused to accept no-confidence votes against Rajapaksa, saying that due process was not followed.

Parliament has already passed a confidence vote in Wickremesinghe while it sought his reinstatement as prime minister to defuse a constitutional crisis.