<span style="color: #222222;">In a fast-changing political development in Sri Lanka, former President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the new Prime minister, pushing the country in a constitutional crisis. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was replaced, has claimed that he is still the Prime Minister. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Rajapaksa was administered oath on Friday evening by the President Maithripala Sirisena at his office in Colombo.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">However, the United National Party (UNP) led by Mr. Wickremesinghe has opposed the development terming it as unconstitutional and illegal. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">A former minister termed it as an anti-democratic coup. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Earlier, the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Sirisena has decided to leave the unity government led by Mr. Ranil Wicremsinghe. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">President Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent party of the UPFA and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's had formed a unity government in August 2015 following the elections. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">However, there has been growing tensions between the two sides on several policy matters. President-led UPFA has 23 MPs while rest of 69 support Joint opposition led Mahinda Rajapaksa. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Sirisena had left SLFP in 2015 Presidential polls to contest against the then President Mahinda Rajapakse and was victorious. </span><br />''