Colombo: Just a day after taking office, Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has dissolved Parliament to pave the way for the parliamentary elections scheduled for November.
According to a report by Reuters, the Sri Lankan government has issued a gazette notification confirming that President Dissanayake has disbanded Parliament ahead of the parliamentary elections set for November 14, with the new Parliament expected to begin its session on November 21.
The last general elections in Sri Lanka were held in August 2020, during which members of the assembly are elected for a five-year term.
Dissanayake won the presidential elections held two days ago, although his National People’s Party currently holds only three seats out of 225 in Parliament. This lack of representation prompted him to dissolve Parliament in order to seek a new mandate for his policies.
The recent presidential election marks the first since the economic collapse of 2022, with parliamentary elections following in November. President Dissanayake has indicated that he will implement significant measures to improve the economy.
Before the elections, he stated his intention to meet the requirements needed to secure a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help tackle the economic crisis and facilitate welfare initiatives.
