Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena suspended parliament, deepening political turmoil after he sacked his Prime Minister who had called for an emergency meeting of the legislature.
Earlier, sacked PM Ranil Wickremesinghe demanded the parliament speaker call an emergency session so he can prove his majority after former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as Premier.
President Maithripala Sirisena sacked incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe in a surprise.
Local television pictures showed Rajapaksa, who last month led opposition protests against the government, being sworn in before Sirisena, surrounded by a number of opposition legislators.
The appointment was confirmed in a statement from the president's office, but Wickremesinghe later told local television he remained the Prime Minister.
Wickremesinghe has sent a letter to parliament speaker seeking a reconvening of the assembly which was only scheduled to meet on November 5 to debate the 2019 budget.