This tweet by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Wickremesinghe came at the end of the 2018 Sri Lankan Constitutional Crisis. A month earlier, the President of Sri Lanka, without any prior notice, on live television elected Rajapaksa who was the former President of Sri Lanka, to be his Prime Minister. This happened without the sitting Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe, being formally removed in any way. This move was unconstitutional and created lots of political upheaval in Sri Lanka. Eventually Rajapaksa resigned, and Wickremesinghe was reinstated as the PM.

I think Wickremesinghe was correct in stating that this was a win for Sri Lankan democratic insitutions and not just himself or his party. This is because it showed that the institutions of Parliament and the Supreme Court were able to do their jobs and prevent against a autonomous leader from taking over and things getting out of control.

Today marks a victory not for myself or for the UNP. It is a victory for Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions and the sovereignty of our citizens. I thank everyone who stood firm in defending the constitution and ensuring the triumph of democracy.

— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) December 16, 2018