Historic Tenth Parliament inaugurated

On Nov 21, 2024

The inaugural session of Sri Lanka’s 10th Parliament commenced yesterday at 10:00 a.m. The session began with the Secretary-General of Parliament presenting the Extraordinary Gazette Notifications issued by the President, which set the date and time for the session.

During this session, Gampaha District Member of Parliament Dr. Asoka Sapumal Ranwala was unanimously appointed as the new Speaker of Parliament.

The appointment of Dr. Ranwala was proposed by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and seconded by Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed Rizvie Salih has been unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th Parliament and his name was proposed by Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and seconded by Saroja Paulraj.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake has been appointed as the new Leader of the House, while Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has been named the Chief Government Whip of the ruling party.

Speaker Dr. Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala informed Parliament that the nomination of Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), has been accepted as the Opposition Leader of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Parliament adjourned until 11:30 a.m., and the Speaker requested one representative from each political party that contested the election to attend a party leaders’ meeting in his official room.

Later President Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrived at Parliament to deliver the government’s Policy Statement during the ceremonial sitting of the first session of the 10th Parliament.

The parliamentary elections held on November 14, 2024 marked a significant shift in the nation’s political landscape, with the National People’s Power (NPP) led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, securing a substantial majority.

The NPP achieved a landslide victory, obtaining 159 out of the 225 seats in Parliament. This total includes 141 directly elected and 18 appointed through the national list. Notably, over 150 of the 196 elected members of Parliament are newcomers.