<span style="color: #222222;">The United States urged political parties in Sri Lanka to abide by the Constitution and refrain from violence as it faced a political crisis following the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as Premier in place of former ally Ranil Wickremesinghe by President Maithripala Sirisena.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Reacting to the political developments in the island nation, the US State Department, in a tweet, asked all parties to act in accordance with Sri Lanka's Constitution and follow due process. The South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department reminded Colombo to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice, and reconciliation.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Rajapaksa, 72 ,staged a dramatic political comeback yesterday, becoming the new prime minister after Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe, who termed the move as unconstitutional and vowed to prove his majority in Parliament.</span><br />