 "Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the new Sri Lankan president. File Photo/AP")
Sri Lanka’s newly elected leftist president Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved parliament on Tuesday (September 24) and called a snap election for November 14, almost a year ahead of schedule.
Dissanayake ordered the new assembly to hold its first session on November 21, as he dissolved the 225-member parliament in which his People’s Liberation Front (JVP) had just three seats, according to a notification in the official government gazette.
Why the parliament was dissolved
Sri Lankans have elected Marxist-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president, giving him a crucial role in shaping the country’s future as it recovers from a devastating financial crisis.
However, his coalition, the National People’s Party, holds just three of the 225 seats in parliament, prompting Dissanayake to dissolve the legislature and seek a new mandate for his reform agenda.
Saturday’s election marked Sri Lanka’s first since the economy collapsed in 2022 due to a severe foreign exchange shortage, which left the country unable to pay for essential imports such as fuel, medicine, and cooking gas, Reuters reported.
The economic turmoil triggered mass protests that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and eventually resign.
Dissanayake’s plan for Sri Lanka
Dissanayake has vowed to bring change to those struggling under the austerity measures tied to a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe has also pledged to expand welfare programs but raised concerns among investors with his promises to cut taxes and reconsider the terms of the bailout deal, which could jeopardise a vital $25 billion debt restructuring plan.
Now, immediately after assuming power, Dissanayake faces the challenge of guiding Sri Lanka toward sustainable and inclusive growth.
He must also reassure both local and international markets of the country’s stability, focus on attracting foreign investment, and lifting a quarter of the nation’s 22 million citizens out of poverty.
With inputs from agencies