Colombo: Sri Lanka’s two ruling parties are setting up a committee to examine the future of the unity government after an unexpected thrashing in local elections over the weekend, a senior minister said on Tuesday.

President Maithripala Sirisena’s centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s centre-right United National Party (UNP) were routed by a political party backed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the local polls – plunging the government into political crisis.

Rajapaksa, who lost the presidential election in 2015, is urging the government to call a snap parliamentary election.

That election is not due until 2020. The president can bring the vote forward if two-thirds of parliament endorses it.

UNP housing minister Sajith Premadasa said both coalition government partners had decided to set up a committee to explore the possibilities to continue the unity government.

However, legislators in the president’s SLFP demanded he appoint a new prime minister.

“We need a new prime minister to carry forward a new parliament. We hope the president will decide on this in the next two days,” Nishantha Muthuhettigama, deputy ports minister, told reporters after a party meeting.

The party backed by Rajapaksa, who as president from 2005 to 2015 crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, ending a 26-year civil war, won control of 231 local councils out of a total 340 while Wickremasinghe’s UNP took 34 councils and SLFP nine. The rest were split among other parties.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.