Why Sri Lanka's New Crisis Risks Return of Violence

Sri Lanka has descended into a political crisis that’s threatening to bring violence back to the South Asian island nation. The standoff was sparked in October when the president fired the prime minister, suspended parliament and attempted to install a controversial ex-president as premier. It marks a return of political upheaval to the country of 21 million people that’s still in rehabilitation following a brutal 26-year civil war that ended in 2009.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe on Oct. 26 for failing to properly investigate a plot to assassinate him, one that he alleges involved a cabinet minister. But the president also accused Wickremesinghe of mismanaging the economy, and relations between the two had been strained for months. Sirisena attempted to appoint populist strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister, claiming the move was within his constitutional rights. While a president can appoint a prime minister, there’s a debate over whether he can unilaterally fire one. Wickremesinghe described his ousting as “blatantly illegal, unconstitutional, and opportunistic.”