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Sri Lanka's PM Reinstated After Months Of Governmental Crisis

The prime minister said this was a step back toward "normalcy" for the country.

Sri Lanka's PM Reinstated After Months Of Governmental Crisis
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Sri Lanka's president has tapped a former prime minister to fill the newly vacated PM seat, all the while accusing him of being corrupt. 

It's all a bit complicated, so stick with us. In October, President Maithripala Sirisena fired then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Sirisena later said he sacked Wickremesinghe for several reasons, including that he reportedly didn't want to help investigate a possible insider trade deal in which a close friend was a potential suspect. Wickremesinghe has argued that his firing was unlawful. 

Still, Sri Lanka's president appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister. Shortly after, Rajapaksa faced and lost two no-confidence votes in the country's parliament and was subsequently suspended until mid-January. His cabinet was also kept from operating

The move left Sri Lanka's government in a tough spot and essentially without a government. 

Rajapaksa resigned on Saturday. So, President Sirisena reinstated the man he had previously fired, Wickremesinghe, as the "new" PM. Wickremesinghe said this was a step back toward "normalcy" for the country. 

But, in a speech on Sunday, Sirisena accused the newly reappointed prime minister of being a corrupt leader and said he didn't know if they could work together in the future. 

Some, including Rajapaksa, have called for early elections to help end the government's impasse.