Colombo, September 25, 2024 – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has officially dissolved the Sri Lankan Parliament effective from midnight yesterday, as per an Extraordinary Gazette notification published by the Department of Government Printing.
In accordance with the proclamation, the new Parliament will be summoned to meet on November 21, 2024. General elections to elect new Members of Parliament will be held on November 14, 2024.
The nomination period for candidates has been set between October 4 and October 11, 2024, with nominations to be accepted until noon on the final day. The President issued the Gazette under the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Sri Lankan Constitution, and in accordance with Section 10 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981.
President Dissanayake, leader of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, recently won a landslide victory in the presidential election, securing over 5.6 million votes (42.3%) against 38 other candidates. During his campaign, he pledged to dissolve Parliament and call for snap elections. The current Parliament’s term was initially set to end in August 2025.
Dissanayake took office earlier this week and appointed Harini Amarasuriya as Prime Minister on Tuesday, making her the third woman to hold the position in Sri Lanka’s history. He also formed a temporary three-member Cabinet comprising himself, Amarasuriya, and Vijitha Herath, which will act as a caretaker government until the elections.
President Dissanayake is expected to address the nation tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm, according to the Department of Government Information.
