Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Dissolves Parliament Friday June 26,2015

 

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved parliament on Friday June 26,2015, paving the way for an early general election.

"The president signed a gazette notification dissolving parliament with effect from midnight today," government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said

It was also announced on Friday night that the Parliamentary elections will be held on August 17, while the new Parliament is scheduled to meet on September 01,2015

The Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, has dissolved his country’s Parliament, 160 days after assuming office in January 2015 

The president's decision to dissolve parliament came shortly after a spokesman for the United National Party (UNP) said it had formally requested him to do so.

The UNP was the main party behind Mr Sirisena's presidential bid and its leader, Ranil Wickremesingha, is the country's prime minister.

Sri Lankan law dictates that elections be held between 52 and 66 days after the dissolution.

The dissolution of parliament ends the term of the coalition government that was appointed for a 100-day period after the presidential election result. However, it exceeded that time limit as it sought to implement key constitutional reforms.