Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invokes the tough laws to "ensure public order" after a nationwide strike brought the South Asian island nation of 22 million people to a standstill amid weeks of unrest.
Newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa picks his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president, to be the interim prime minister.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa spearheaded the military operation that ended his country's years-long insurgency but alienated minorities along the way.
Newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa can now appoint a caretaker government, dissolve Parliament next March and force new elections, or wait until next August when Parliament’s term ends.
Former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa's family is eyeing a comeback after a decade in power remembered by supporters for crushing the Tamil militants. His main opponent Sajith Premadasa is vowing security and development in the island nation.
Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday, and a minority vote could decide who will eventually rule the tiny island country.
Sluggish economic growth, national security, endemic corruption and deep ethnic and religious divisions in the South Asian nation will be key issues at the upcoming polls.
Ousted in October, Ranil Wickremesinghe returns as the island country's PM a day after disputed premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, ending a 51-day political crisis in the country.
Strongman leader steps down as Supreme Court bans his purported government from exercising powers of office. President Maithripala Sirisena will have to appoint a replacement to avert a possible government shutdown on January 1.
The island has been in crisis since President Maithripala Sirisena replaced Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in October, and then issued an order dissolving parliament and called for a general election.
The move comes a day after lawmakers voted to cut off government money to the office of disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka's disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will no longer be able to use government money for his day-to-day expenses. A similar motion to cut down the expenditure of all other ministers is planned.
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