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It’s now obvious that the Government installed by President Maithripala Sirisena to take forward his “yahapalana” programme is going off the track. On Wednesday, a special session of Parliament called to confirm nominees to the Constitutional Council (CC) ended abruptly with discussion on the matter put off for another day, a clear illustration that the minority government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is a lame duck one, subject to the whims and fancies of an Opposition that has a majority in the House, and uses every available opportunity to undermine the ruling side.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa had summoned Parliament to meet on Wednesday at 9.30 a.m. on the request of the Prime Minister, with the business of the House for the day being a discussion of a resolution to approve the appointment of three civil society members to the CC. The three are Dr A.T. Ariyaratne, Retired Judge A.W.A. Salam and Dr (Ms) Radhika Coomaraswamy.

While the Government had gone to great lengths to summon a special session of the House, it had failed to consult a powerful section in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA)– the group that is aligned closely to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa- prior to selecting the nominees, and, as a result, sittings were adjourned till June 9 with the CC appointees matter left in limbo.

The UPFA group led by MP Dinesh Gunawardena objected on the ground that the nominees to the CC were selected without following procedure laid down under the 19th Amendment. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are required to “consult leaders of political parties and independent groups in Parliament, so as to ensure the CC reflects the pluralistic character of Sri Lanka society, including professional and social diversity”, when naming five of its members, namely the three representing civil society as well as two Parliamentarians.

Mr Gunawardena said all party leaders were not consulted on these nominees, and the Government itself has violated the provisions of 19A. There were also objections to the appointment of ministers to the CC. “We want a representative from the estate sector and more female representation in it,” Mr Gunawardena told reporters after Parliament adjourned Wednesday.

The matter is now scheduled to be taken up for debate on June 9, but a final decision will be made on Monday, after a party leaders’ meeting is held to confirm the business of the House for the coming week. Amidst this there is growing pressure on the Speaker to give precedence to two ‘No-Confidence’ motions that have been handed over, one against Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayaka and the other against the Prime Minister handed over on Friday.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa summoned Parliament on the request of premier Ranil Wickremesinghe

MP Dullas Allahaperuma said that the Speaker should give precedence to the ‘No-Confidence’ motions and put other business of the House on hold till these are taken up for debate. The motion against the Prime Minister has been signed by 112 MPs including senior SLFP legislators, which calls into serious question, President Sirisena’s grip over the 130 SLFP MPs who make up the bulk of the 144 members of the UPFA. In the wake of these developments, as to how long President Sirisena can continue to prop up a government that does not have the support of the majority in the House, is a pertinent question.

With calls from within a strong faction of the UPFA growing stronger for the President to replace the Prime Minister from within the ranks of the UPFA, an early dissolution of Parliament seems inevitable. The President has the option of proroguing Parliament, hoping the ‘No-Confidence’ motion against Prime Minister Wickremesinghe would fizzle out, but such a move would lead to the President losing more support within SLFP ranks.

On the other hand, if the ‘No-Confidence’ motion is taken up for debate, it will certainly carry and spell the downfall of this Government. With no agreement on the 20th Amendment and various scenarios including an impeachment motion against the President not an impossibility, his best option seems to be an immediate dissolution of Parliament.