Holed up in a colonial-era mansion on an island in the Indian Ocean, an embattled prime minister is desperately trying to hold onto power.

In his first interview with international media since his ouster, Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe told Bloomberg that the country’s president had no legal grounds to fire him. He insists he has enough support in parliament, which was suspended, and can form a government once again.

Analysts aren’t so sure. President Maithripala Sirisena replaced the premier with former strongman ruler Mahinda Rajapaksa, who ran the island nation from 2005 to 2015 and oversaw a final assault to end a 26-year civil war with Tamil Tiger separatists. This endeared him to the public while spurring condemnation in the US and Europe over alleged human rights abuses.

One nation likely to welcome Rajapaksa back is China, which doled out billions of dollars of loans to Sri Lanka during his presidency — so much so that about 80 percent of government revenue now goes toward paying down debt. If the past is any indication, it won’t be long before Rajapaksa cozies up to Beijing once again.

First Published: Nov 01, 2018 16:57 IST