<p>Members of the Tamil National Alliance have written to Sri Lanka’s president stating that it is “beyond doubt” that Mahinda Rajapaksa does not control the confidence of parliament as prime minister.</p>
<p>Rajapaksa, the former president who oversaw a massive military offensive that saw tens of thousands of Tamils killed, was appointed by Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena as prime minister last month, in a move that plunged Colombo into crisis.</p>
<p>The group of 14 TNA parliamentarians said that Rajapaksa “has not been able to prove that he commands the confidence of Parliament though one month has lapsed since the said appointment”.</p>
<p>“The view of the majority of the Hon Members of Parliament on the issue of whether the said Hon Member commands the Confidence of Parliament to be the Prime Minister has been negative and has been demonstrated beyond doubt,” they added in their letter to Sirisena.</p>
<p>The TNA went on to state that it “will support the restoration of a Government headed by the UNF as it existed prior to 26th October” or the appointment of a UNF nominee to the post.</p>
<p>Two TNA lawmakers did not sign the letter, PLOTE’s S Viyulendran who pledged support to Rajapaksa and the EPRLF’s Sivasakthy Ananthan, who previously said he was not bound to be bound by any TNA decision.</p>
<p>See the full text of the letter to Sirisena <a href="https://www.tamilguardian.com/sites/default/files/File/TNA/Letter%20to%…">here</a>.</p>
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