Sri Lanka’s new president Dissanayake dissolves parliament, calls early election for November 14

Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved Parliament late Tuesday and announced a parliamentary election for November 14, just two months away. This move aims to strengthen his power following his election victory over the weekend.

A government notice confirmed that Parliament was officially dissolved at midnight Tuesday. Dissanayake had promised during his campaign that he would take this step.

Currently, his party holds only three seats in the 225-member Parliament. The upcoming election could allow him to gain more control while his popularity remains high after Saturday's vote.

The dissolution came just hours after Dissanayake appointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister, making her the first woman to lead the government in 24 years. Amarasuriya, 54, is a university lecturer and activist, sharing a similar background with Dissanayake. Both are part of the National People’s Power coalition, which is currently in the opposition.

Dissanayake's first significant challenge will be to fulfil his promise to ease the tough austerity measures put in place by his predecessor, Wickremesinghe, as part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund after Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt.

Since Sri Lanka introduced universal suffrage in 1931, its politics have been largely male-dominated. This trend is reflected globally; a 2023 analysis by the Pew Research Center found that only 13 out of 193 United Nations member states have women as heads of government.

Agency