COLOMBO: Sri Lankan lawmakers on Thursday approved a motion barring disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa from using state funds after he lost two no-confidence votes, in an escalation of the country’s political crisis.

The motion was passed with 123 votes in the 225-member Parliament as Rajapaksa supporters boycotted the proceedings for a third day, accusing Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of bias and breaching parliamentary rules.

The passage of the motion was a setback for Rajapaksa because it demonstrated that a majority of lawmakers oppose the former strongman, who ruled Sri Lanka as president from 2005 to 2015.

Sri Lanka has been in a political crisis since Oct 26, when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Rajapaksa. Both claim to be the legitimate officeholder, with Wickre­mesinghe saying he has majority support in parliament and his firing was invalid. Rajapaksa has moved into the prime minister’s office, while Wickremesinghe has refused to leave the premier’s official residence.

Parliament has passed two no-confidence motions against Rajapaksa and the speaker has declared that Rajapaksa is no longer prime minister and his government has been dissolved. But Rajapaksa continues to function as prime minister with the backing of Sirisena, who has dismissed the no-confidence votes, saying proper procedures were not followed.

Ravi Karunanayake, a lawmaker from Wickremesinghe’s party who presented the motion, said parliament has full control over public finance and the secretary to the prime minster has no authority to approve any expenditures from state funds.

Dinesh Gunawardena, a member of Rajapaksa’s purported cabinet, said his camp refuses to accept Thursday’s vote. He said since a budget has already been approved for this year with allocations for the prime minister’s office, any amendment to it needs to be brought in the form of a law by a government minister. He said it is also unlawful to debate a matter that is before a court.

The Court of Appeal has agreed to hear a petition challenging the right of Rajapaksa and his ministers to hold office after the no-confidence votes.

During the no-confidence motions two weeks ago, rival lawmakers exchanged blows, and those supporting Rajapaksa threw books, chairs and chili powder mixed with water to try to block the proceedings. Amid the disturbance, Jayasuriya resorted to voice votes.

Both Sirisena and Rajapaksa rejected the results of the votes, saying important issues should not be decided by voice. Sirisena has said he will only accept a vote taken by name or through the electronic voting system.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2018