Sri Lanka: President Dissanayake dissolves parliament

Colombo, Sep 24 (PTI) Sri Lanka's newly appointed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday signed the special gazette notification ordering the dissolution of parliament, officials said.

The dissolution will be effective from midnight Tuesday and the election will be held on November 14.

Dissanayake in the run-up to Saturday’s presidential election said he would immediately dissolve parliament to order a snap poll.

The last parliament was convened in August 2020. The dissolution has come 11 months ahead of schedule.

Dissanayake, 56, was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday.

His swearing-in came hours after Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned from his post as part of a power transition in the country following the presidential election.

On Monday, Dissanayake said he wanted a new assembly to push through his National People’s Power (NPP) reform agenda.

Earlier today, President Dissanayake appointed his cabinet of four, including himself and also Harini Amarasuriya was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, making her the 16th person to hold the position.

She was sworn in as the new prime minister in the presence of President Dissanayake.

NPP parliamentarians Vijitha Herath and Laxman Nipunarachchi were sworn in as cabinet ministers. They would serve as the caretaker cabinet.

Also, the Election Commission has announced its readiness to conduct a general election at any given time.

Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, stated that the estimated cost for a general election would be approximately Rs. 11 billion.

The Election Commission also noted that the voter registration list prepared for the presidential election will be used for the general election.

Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Saturday's election.

The election was the first to be held since mass protests unseated Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 after the country suffered an economic crisis.

Dissanayake won the election obtaining 5.74 million votes, with 105,264 preferences. Premadasa got 4.53 million votes with 167,867 preferences.

His anti-corruption message and his promise of a change in political culture resonated strongly with young voters who had been demanding system change since the economic crisis. PTI