Former Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa tried to deploy the army when he realised that he had lost elections, a spokesman for new President Maithripala Sirisena has alleged.

He said that the head of the armed forces came under pressure to intervene shortly before Mr Rajapaksa conceded defeat on 47.6% of the vote.

There has been no comment from the military about the allegations.

The deposed president's spokesman said that he could not discuss the claims.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30763699

Sri Lanka's new government will investigate an attempt by Mahinda Rajapaksa to stage a "coup" to stay in power after it
became clear he had lost last week's presidential election, a spokesman said.

"People think it was a peaceful transition. It was anything but," spokesman Mangala Samaraweera told reporters on Sunday. "The first thing the new cabinet will investigate is the coup and conspiracy by President Rajapaksa.

"He stepped down only when the army chief and the police Inspector General refused to go along with him." the AFP news agency quoted Samaraweera as saying.

Rajapaksa had been widely praised for conceding defeat early on Friday, even before the last votes in Thursday's election had been counted, when he realised that his rival Maithripala Sirisena had an unassailable lead.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2015/01/sri-lanka-rajapaksa-coup-attempt-2015111836468689.html

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's new president appointed his Cabinet on Monday and announced he will call parliamentary elections in three months.

President Maithripala Sirisena named the 26-member Cabinet and said its task will be to implement his campaign pledges over the next 100 days before the parliamentary polls are held.

He warned the ministers of stern action if they are involved in corruption.

Sirisena won a surprise victory over longtime leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in last week's presidential election. He promised during the campaign to overhaul the constitution to transfer many of the president's extensive powers to the Parliament, judiciary and independent commissions. He also vowed cut taxes on food and fuel to bring their prices down.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/12/world/asia/ap-as-sri-lanka-politics.html

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's new president has replaced an ex-military with a civilian governor in the Tamil-controlled north in a sign of improving ties with the ethnic minority following the end of the civil war.

President Maithripala Sirisena, who defeated a hard-line incumbent in January elections, announced the appointment of H.M.G.S. Palihakkara as a new governor on his website Wednesday.

The Tamil-controlled provincial administration of the Northern Province has long accused the outgoing governor, retired Maj. Gen. G.A Chandrasiri, of preventing them from functioning freely and running a parallel local government.

Sri Lankan troops defeated Tamil separatist rebels in 2009 after a 25-year civil war, but the government had heavily militarized the region and refused to fulfill its promise to give wide regional autonomy.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/15/sri-lanka-fires-military-governor-in-tamil/