President issues Gazette proclaiming new Parliament session on 8 May

By Skandha Gunasekara

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday (23 April) signed a Gazette Notification proclaiming that the next Parliament session would be held on 8 May, Secretary to the President Austin Fernando told the Daily FT. 

The Gazette Notification signed by the President states that Parliament would commence on 8 May at 2.15pm. 

President Sirisena is expected to deliver a Policy Statement of the Coalition Government on the day. 

President Sirisena prorogued Parliament till May, soon after the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated in Parliament on 4 April with a majority of 46 votes. 

However, a total of 16 SLFP MPs from the Government, including 6 cabinet Ministers, voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion, causing political turmoil within the National Unity Government. 

UNP MPs, particularly the backbenchers, called on the SLFP MPs to leave the Government, claiming they had no moral or ethical right to remain in a Government they voted against during the No-Confidence Motion. 

Although several UNP backbenchers submitted a No-Confidence Motion to the Speaker against the six SLFP Cabinet Ministers that voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion against the Premier, the motion was retracted, following instruction from UNP leader Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. 

The SLFP MPs, in turn, asserted that they were willing to sit in the Opposition as SLFP MPs if the President permits.

Thereafter, President Sirisena issued a Gazette Notification proroguing Parliament till May 8.