Sri Lanka ruling coalition candidate wins vote in Parliament

Sri Lankan motorists queue up to buy fuel outside a fuel station in Colombo on Thursday, May 5 2022 (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Sri Lanka’s beleaguered government has won a key vote in Parliament as a ruling coalition-backed candidate was elected deputy speaker – despite growing public pressure amid the worst economic crisis in decades.

The vote was seen as crucial to demonstrate that the government still has majority support in the 225-member Parliament after 40 governing coalition politicians said last month they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions.