Associated Press

Colombo, February 25:

Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance lost its majority in parliament today after a Tamil political party withdrew its support, putting the country into a state of uncertainty as it grapples to recover from the tsunami.

The Ceylon Workers Congress, which has eight seats in the 225-member legislature, said it was joining the opposition because of disagreements with President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government. The move left the ruling alliance with 111 seats. Though the loss weakens the government, it’s unlikely to cause its downfall.

However, the alliance could collapse if its key partner, the Marxist People’s Liberation Front, follows through on a threat it made yesterday to also withdraw because of a dispute over the peace process with Tamil rebels. “We have resigned from the government,” R Yogarajan, a senior member of the Ceylon Workers Congress, said. He said the decision to quit was prompted by “the government’s failure to implement certain agreements and programmes.”

The party is backed by Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils and supported Kumaratunga’s efforts to end the two-decade war with the Tamil Tiger rebels. It only joined the governing alliance in September, giving the government a majority in parliament for the first time since elections last April.

The Marxist People’s Liberation Front threatened to withdraw its 39 lawmakers from the alliance because it opposes the government’s proposed power-sharing agreements with the Tamil Tiger rebels. “Since the government majority is no longer assured, the ability of the government to get anything done crucially depends on its willingness and ability to form new coalitions,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, a political analyst from the Centre for Policy Alternatives, an independent think-tank. “There is a prospect therefore of another election further down the line, and a major realignment of political forces,” he said.

Charles’ visit

COLOMBO:

Britain’s Prince Charles is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on Monday to view the devastation from the December 26 tsunami. Charles will visit Batticaloa. Meanwhile, an AFP report says that the government is seeking a deal with LTTE on handling relief despite a spate of killings undermining mutual confidence, officials said on Friday. — AP