Colombo, Nov 09: Sri Lanka's influential Muslim Congress party said today its crucial support for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's coalition government will depend on how much say the country's Muslims have in areas that would be led by Tamil tiger rebels under a proposed peace plan. "Right now we are backing the Prime Minister in the present crisis, but it will also depend on what course the peace talks take," the party's general secretary, Hashan Ali, told reporters.
The Muslim Congress is an important player in the 225-seat parliament, where Wickremesinghe's coalition has only a two-seat majority.
With 12 seats, the congress can turn the situation against Wickremesinghe in case of a no-confidence vote.
Muslims make up 7 per cent of Sri Lanka's 19 million people. Most vote for either the Muslim Congress or Wickremesinghe's party.
Bureau Report