Sri Lanka's President Says Will Not Reinstate Ousted Prime Minister

A political impasse in Sri Lanka could be set to drag on long after President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday he would not reinstate Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister even if he was able to prove his majority in parliament.

He said he replaced Wickremesinghe with pro-China former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa because of policy differences and a sharp rise in corruption.

Sirisena said he planned to appoint a commission to investigate corruption and malpractice “under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government.”