Sri Lanka President Suspends Parliament After Sacking PM as Political Rift Deepens

Sri Lanka President Suspends Parliament After Sacking PM as Political Rift Deepens
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena gestures as he speaks during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 23, 2017. Reuters/Kirill Kudryavtsev
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COLOMBO—Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday suspended parliament till Nov. 16, a day after removing Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and replacing him with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in a surprise move that signals escalating political tensions in the South Asian nation.

“The president has prorogued the parliament,” cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters.