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 Sunday.
"People think it was a peaceful transition. It was anything but," spokesman Mangala Samaraweera told reporters. "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."
But Samaraweera said that the 69-year-old, who had ruled the country since 2005, tried his best to annul the poll and cling onto power.
He said police Inspector General N. K. Illangakoon was "very vocal and did not want to be a party to this coup".
Rajapaksa planned to stop the vote count as it became apparent that he was headed for a shock defeat and wanted to remain in office by issuing a proclamation declaring himself the president, Samaraweera said.
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