Sri Lanka’s Parliament has passed a no-confidence vote against the government headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former strongman hastily sworn in as prime minister last month.

The motion brought on Wednesday morning by the leader of an opposition party could mean that Mr Rajapaksa will have to resign his post.

Parliament convened for the first time since October 27, when President Maithripala Sirisena suspended the legislature after firing the sitting prime minister and Cabinet in a power struggle and plunging the island nation into a crisis.

Mr Sirisena dissolved Parliament last week in a bid to build support for Mr Rajapaksa but the Supreme Court ordered the legislature to keep working until next month.</s>Supporters of Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shout slogans as they celebrate after the Sri Lankan Supreme Court suspended dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, outside the court complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid. On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (Eranga Jayawardena)</s>COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the president's order to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections, opening the way for lawmakers to vote on whether to accept his earlier ouster of the prime minister.

Sri Lanka has been in a political crisis since Oct. 26, when President Maithripala Sirisena suddenly fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A day later Sirisena suspended Parliament, apparently to allow Rajapaksa time to gather support among lawmakers. But Wickremesinghe insisted his firing was unconstitutional. He refused to vacate his official residence and demanded that Parliament be summoned to prove he still has support.

Amid mounting pressure from political opponents and foreign governments, including the United States and the EU, to convene Parliament to end the impasse, Sirisena announced the legislature would return this Wednesday.

But last Friday, he instead dissolved Parliament and called new elections in January. Opponents said Sirisena made the decision because Rajapaksa had been unable to assemble a majority.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to suspend the president's order until Dec. 7, after 13 political parties and individuals filed petitions with the court calling the dissolution unconstitutional. It said it would hold hearings on the case starting Dec. 4.

Wickremesinghe welcomed the ruling, calling it "a resounding victory for people's franchise."

"The powers of the president are limited. The president must act according to the law, he is not above the law," he said.

Wickremesinghe said Parliament will meet on Wednesday and "show that we have the majority and that we are the legitimate government of Sri Lanka."

After the ruling was announced, hundreds of opposition supporters who had gathered near the court cheered and lit firecrackers.

Tensions had been building between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe for some time, as the president did not approve of economic reforms introduced by the prime minister. Sirisena has also accused Wickremesinghe and another Cabinet member of plotting to assassinate him, a charge Wickremesinghe has repeatedly denied.

Sirisena was also critical of investigations into military personnel who were accused of human rights violations during Sri Lanka's 25-year civil war against a Tamil separatist group, which ended in 2009.

Rajapaksa, who was president from 2005 to 2015, is considered a hero by some in Sri Lanka's ethnic Sinhalese majority for ending the war by crushing the Tamil rebels.

But his time in power was marred by allegations of war-time atrocities, corruption and nepotism.</s>A Sri Lankan man walks past a banner carrying portraits of newly appointed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, left, his brother Gotabhaya and president Maithripla Sirisena, second left, outside the supreme courts complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Sri Lanka is in the midst of a political crisis set off by the president's decisions to remove the South Asian island nation's prime minister, dissolve Parliament and call snap elections. The banner reads" We welcome the leader who brought life to people" in Sinhalese. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (Eranga Jayawardena)</s>COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid.

The court decided Tuesday that the decree issued last Friday by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament will be suspended until Dec. 7.

On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. A day later he suspended Parliament, apparently to allow Rajapaksa time to gather support among lawmakers.

He later ordered Parliament to return on Wednesday, but then dissolved it last Friday and called for new elections in January.

Wickremesinghe has refused to step down.

Opposition lawmaker Ajith Perera said Parliament will meet Wednesday to prove that Wickremesinghe has the support of a majority of lawmakers.</s>In a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday voted against newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, PTI reported.

Parliament has approved a no-trust vote against Rajapaksa, speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya announced in the House. "According to the voice, I recognise that the government has no majority," Jayasuriya announced as Rajapaksa backers protested.

Sri Lanka had been in a political crisis since 26 October, when Sirisena suddenly fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister and replaced him with former strongman Rajapaksa.

Amid mounting pressure from political opponents and foreign governments, including the United States and the European Union, to convene Parliament to end the impasse. However last Friday, he instead dissolved Parliament and called new elections in January. Opponents said Sirisena made the decision because Rajapaksa had been unable to assemble a majority.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to suspend the president's order until 7 December, after 13 political parties and individuals filed petitions with the court calling the dissolution unconstitutional. The Sri Lankan Supreme Court would hold the next hearing on 4 December.</s>COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa amid raucous opposition on Wednesday, throwing the country deeper into crisis.

Rajapaksa’s allies said they could not accept the vote, shouting “this is illegal”.

Sri Lanka has been in turmoil since President Maithripala Sirisena fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last month, replaced him with Rajapaksa, a pro-China strongman, and dissolved parliament.

The Supreme Court stayed a presidential decree to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections on Tuesday and the house sat again on Wednesday.

“The (no-confidence) motion was taken to vote by voice on the floor and it had a majority support. Now we are going to sign the papers,” R. Sambanthan, leader of an opposition group bitterly opposed to Rajapaska, told Reuters.

Five other opposition law makers also confirmed the move.

The instability in the island nation of 21 million people has raised concerns for its economy, already expanding at its slowest pace in more than a decade.

On Wednesday, the central bank unexpectedly raised its key policy rates, a move aimed at defending a faltering rupee as foreign capital outflows picked up in Sri Lanka, where both India and China are locked in a tussle for influence.

The parliamentary speaker has called the president’s sacking of the prime minister to bring a former leader back to power a non-violent coup d’etat.

Rajapaksa, under whose rule Sri Lanka achieved its 2009 victory in a decades-long conflict against rebels from the Tamil minority, is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority. He has been accused by diplomats of human rights abuses during the war, which he denies.</s>Supporters of Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shout slogans as they celebrate after the Sri Lankan Supreme Court suspended dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, outside the court complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid. On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (Eranga Jayawardena)</s>Supporters of Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shout slogans as they celebrate after the Sri Lankan Supreme Court suspended dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, outside the court complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid. On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (Eranga Jayawardena)</s>COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid.

The court decided Tuesday that the decree issued last Friday by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament will be suspended until Dec. 7.

On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. A day later he suspended Parliament, apparently to allow Rajapaksa time to gather support among lawmakers.

He later ordered Parliament to return on Wednesday, but then dissolved it last Friday and called for new elections in January.

Wickremesinghe has refused to step down.

Opposition lawmaker Ajith Perera said Parliament will meet Wednesday to prove that Wickremesinghe has the support of a majority of lawmakers.
The Sri Lankan Parliament reconvenes. The Speaker says it passed a motion of no confidence against the disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.