Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved Parliament late on Friday amid a political crisis that erupted in the island nation since October 26, local media reported.

Sirisena signed a special gazette notification, dissolving the Parliament from Saturday , Xinhua quoting a report said.

The island nation has been facing a political turmoil since October 26, when President Sirisena dissolved his cabinet and sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapakse to the post.

Wickremesinghe, who called his sudden dismissal illegal, has urged Parliament to convene immediately to prove his majority in the 225-member unicameral chamber.

 President Sirisena suspended Parliament till November 14. </s> Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament ahead of its term as illegal.

On November 9, Sirisena dissolved parliament and called a general election for January 5 days after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post.

However, the apex court Judge Sisira de Abrew rejected that decision and said, “President can’t dissolve parliament before four-and-half years.”

The court verdict means parliament elections will be held as scheduled after February 2020 and raises the possibility of Wickremesinghe reinstated as prime minister since his coalition enjoys a majority in parliament. </s> Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena dissolves parliament: The political turmoil in Sri Lanka deepened on Friday, November 9, after President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament, calling for early elections in the country on January 5, almost 2 years ahead of schedule. Sirisena signed an official order dismissing Sri Lanka’s 225-member assembly after his party lost to prove strength in support of ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse. The dissolution comes following the unprecedented political turmoil after Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, replacing him by Rajapakse.

Following the unprecedented decision, Wickremesinghe refused to accept the move and sought a vote in the Parliament to prove his majority, however, Parliament was suspended and was scheduled to reconvene, it was dissolved on Friday by Sirisena. To this, Wickremesinghe said he would certainly challenge the decision in the court and the party would move an impeachment motion against the President saying, he is a threat to the democratic tradition of Sri Lanka.

He also pointed out that he clearly rejects the dissolution of the Parliament, citing the Constitutional validity of the move, which does not allow the President to dissolve the House within four-and-a-half years of rule under the 19th Amendment to Sri Lanka.

While the President’s legal team has invoked Article 33(2) c of the Constitution, which gives power to the President to prorogue, summon and dissolve Parliament.

The move was welcomed by Rajapaksa, who wrote on Twitter, that general election will truly establish the will of the people of Sri Lanka and proceed for a stable country.

On the other hand, Shreen Saroor, a human rights activist, who has very actively protested against Sirisena’s move, called the dissolution “yet another unconstitutional move”. </s> COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s state media said Friday that President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved Parliament amid a deepening political crisis.

State television network Rupavahini said Sirisena signed a notification announcing the dissolution of Parliament effective at midnight Friday. The notification has been sent to the government printer, according to the report.

The notice will become official once it’s published, and it is required to include dates for nominations for fresh elections. The law requires nominations be called between 10 and 17 days from the time of the announcement of an election, and the polls are required to be taken between the fifth and eighth week from the day nomination closes.

Sri Lanka has been in a political crisis since Oct. 26, when Sirisena fired his prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Wickremesinghe has insisted his firing is unconstitutional and has refused to vacate his official residence. He also has demanded that Parliament be summoned to prove his majority.

There were calls both locally and internationally to convene Parliament to end the impasse.

Sirisena maintained his choice for prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had a majority in Parliament, but the decision to dissolve Parliament shows that is not so.

Wickremesinghe’s camp is likely to contest Sirisena’s move because of constitutional provisions stating that the Parliament can’t be dissolved until four and a half years after its inception. The current Parliament was elected in August 2015. </s> The Supreme Court today ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Parliament was unconstitutional and illegal.

Chief Justice Nalin Perera goes on to state that the president cannot dissolve parliament at his own will or before the lapse of 4.5 years, if President wants to dissolve Parliament before 4.5 years, there must be a resolution passed by two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The justices have now left the courtroom. </s> The Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Parliament on October 26 was illegal, AFP reported. A seven-member bench unanimously gave the verdict, saying that the president’s decision was unconstitutional.

Security was heightened around the Supreme Court and a special task force deployed before the Supreme Court’s order, PTI reported.

The island nation has been in a state of political turmoil since President Maithripala Sirisena ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president. He suspended Parliament to prevent a vote, then lifted the suspension, but dissolved it again in November and called for snap elections on January 5. Rajapaksa’s government lost two trust motions in Parliament.

Around 13 petitions were filed against the president’s order. The petitioners included several political parties, organisations and activists.

On November 13, the Supreme Court had issued an interim order ruling Sirisena’s gazette notification as temporarily illegal and had halted the preparations for snap polls, Sri Lankan website Ada Derana reported. </s> Sri Lanka’s supreme court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving parliament and ruled that an earlier call to summon MPs is valid.

The court decided that the decree issued last Friday by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve the legislature will be suspended until December 7.

On October 26, Mr Sirisena abruptly ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A day later he suspended parliament, apparently to allow Mr Rajapaksa time to gather support among MPs.

He later ordered parliament to return on Wednesday, but then dissolved it last Friday and called for new elections in January.

Mr Wickremesinghe has refused to step down.

Opposition MP Ajith Perera said parliament will meet on Wednesday to prove that Mr Wickremesinghe has the support of a majority of his colleagues. </s> Sri Lanka' Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections on January 5, party officials present at the hearing said.

A three-member bench including the country's chief justice Nalin Perera delivered its ruling after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena's November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

All petitions filed against Sirisena's decision will be heard on December 4, 5 and 6, the apex court ruled.

The petitioners included a member of the independent election commission Ratnajeevan Hoole.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises since October 26 when he sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Sri Lankan President had appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the country’s new Prime Minister. But Wickremesinghe and other constitutional experts questioned the validity of the decision and have refused to accept Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister, plunging the Sri Lankan into a political crisis. </s> In a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday voted against newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, PTI reported.

Parliament has approved a no-trust vote against Rajapaksa, speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya announced in the House. "According to the voice, I recognise that the government has no majority," Jayasuriya announced as Rajapaksa backers protested.

Sri Lanka had been in a political crisis since 26 October, when Sirisena suddenly fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister and replaced him with former strongman Rajapaksa.

Amid mounting pressure from political opponents and foreign governments, including the United States and the European Union, to convene Parliament to end the impasse. However last Friday, he instead dissolved Parliament and called new elections in January. Opponents said Sirisena made the decision because Rajapaksa had been unable to assemble a majority.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to suspend the president's order until 7 December, after 13 political parties and individuals filed petitions with the court calling the dissolution unconstitutional. The Sri Lankan Supreme Court would hold the next hearing on 4 December.
President Maithripala Sirisena dissolves Parliament.