India on Sunday welcomed the reappointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Sri Lanka's prime minister almost two months after he was sacked by President Maithripala Sirisena ending a 51-day crisis that had paralyzed the island nation.
New Delhi, however, was keeping a wary eye on the uneasy ceasefire between the president and the prime minister.
The 69-year-old Wickremesinghe was confirmed in by Sirisena, who had sacked him on October 26 and appointed the former president, the China predilection Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. The move had triggered a power struggle that brought the country's government to a standstill.
Wickremesinghe had refused to step aside since being sacked on 26 October.
"As a close neighbour and true friend, India welcomes the resolution of the political situation in Sri Lanka". "This is a reflection of the maturity demonstrated by all political forces, and also of the flexibility of Sri Lankan equality and its institutions. India remains committed to taking forward its people-oriented development projects in Sri Lanka. We are confident that India-Sri Lanka relations will continue to move on an upward trajectory."
For India, the open war between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe meant the end of an association it had stitched up between Sri Lanka's disagreements in 2015 which had defeated the China-leaning Rajapaksa in national polls. India was also unhappy with the slow pace of treatment of the Tamils, under Rajapaksa's watch, displaced by the civil war after the end of the conflict in May 2009.
"We thank the citizens of the country who fought the illegal seizure of power and ensured that democracy was restored," Wickremesinghe's United National Party said in a Twitter post.
"Today marks a victory not for me or for the UNP. It is a victory for Sri Lanka's democratic institutions and the sovereignty of our citizens. I thank everyone who stood firm in defending the constitution and ensuring the triumph of democracy," Wickremesinghe's own post said.
One of the reasons being attributed to Sirisena volte-face in reappointing Wickremesinghe is the incapability of Rajapaksa to take the reins of government. He failed many attempts to muster a majority in parliament. The former president was also defeated many times on the floor of the legislature before he stepped down on Saturday.
Sirisena too suffered a setback when Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that he acted outside the constitution when he sacked parliament in early November, days after appointing Rajapaksa. The court also confirmed on Friday that Rajapaksa and his cabinet could not exercise the powers of the office they held.
Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying on Sunday that the prime minister was expected to form a cabinet in the coming days, with priority focus of the government being on the 2019 budget
