17th Parliament of Sri Lanka

The 17th Parliament of Sri Lanka, known officially as the 10th Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is the current Parliament of Sri Lanka, with its membership determined by the results of the 2024 parliamentary election held on 14 November 2024. The parliament met for the first time on 21 November 2024.
According to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the term of the Parliament is 5 years. However, under Article 70 of the Constitution and Section 10 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981, the President of Sri Lanka may dissolve parliament after two years and six months from its first sitting or upon receiving a resolution from parliament. This signifies that the president will possess the constitutional authority to dissolve parliament by decree, effective from 21 May 2027.
The National People's Power (NPP) secured a historic landslide victory in the parliamentary election, winning 61.65% of the popular vote and a supermajority of 159 seats—the largest number ever won by a single party in Sri Lanka's history. The NPP, led by newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, achieved the second-highest proportion of seats in the nation's history and won every district except Batticaloa. This marked the first election since 1977 where a single party obtained a supermajority, and the first time a non-Tamil political party won the Jaffna Electoral District.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) became the main opposition, securing 17.66% of the vote and 40 seats, a significant reduction. Other results included the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) winning 8 seats, the New Democratic Front (NDF) securing 5, and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) suffering a drastic decline to just 3 seats from the 145 it held previously.
This election also set records for women's representation, with 21 female MPs elected, the highest in Sri Lanka's history, and saw over 150 first-time MPs entering the legislature.
The NPP nominated Sugath Wasantha de Silva through the national list to be appointed as a Member of Parliament. This marks a significant milestone in Sri Lankan politics, as de Silva is the first visually impaired person to be elected to parliament. A special seating arrangement will be made to accommodate his specific needs.
The National People's Power (NPP), having secured a supermajority with 159 seats, formed the next government of Sri Lanka. The new cabinet of ministers, sworn in on 18 November 2024, includes 21 members elected in the recent parliamentary election, along with the president, who will retain the portfolios of defence, finance, and digital economy. This was carried out in accordance with Articles 42 to 47 of the Constitution. Harini Amarasuriya will continue as the prime minister, in addition to her ministerial portfolio of education, higher education and vocational education. On 25 November 2024, the president, through a Gazette Extraordinary notification, assigned subjects, functions, departments, statutory institutions, and public corporations to the respective ministries.
On 21 November 2024, 29 MPs were sworn in as deputy ministers. Anil Jayantha Fernando, the Cabinet Minister for Labour, was assigned the additional role of Deputy Minister for Economic Development alongside his existing responsibilities.
The new government's first policy statement was presented to the parliament on 21 November 2024 by the president. A debate on the government's policy statement took place from 3 to 5 December 2024 and was passed unanimously.
On 26 November 2024, the cabinet spokesman announced that an interim vote on account would be presented to parliament, with a debate scheduled for 5 and 6 December 2024. The budget proposals for 2025 are set to be presented to parliament on 9 January, with the budget speech scheduled for 17 February 2025. On 5 December 2024, the interim vote on account was presented to parliament, initiating the debate. Following the conclusion of the debate, the vote on account was passed without a formal vote on 6 December 2024.
On 9 January 2025, the prime minister presented the "2025 Appropriation Bill" to Parliament, outlining the government's proposed expenditure for the financial year from 1 January to 31 December 2025. This marked the bill's first reading. The second reading was scheduled for 17 February, followed by a debate from 18 to 25 February. The third reading, or committee stage debate, took place from 27 February to 21 March. On 21 March 2025, Parliament passed the budget's third reading with amendments by a majority of 114 votes.
NPP's Bimal Rathnayake and Nalinda Jayatissa were appointed as Leader of the House and Chief Government Whip respectively on 19 November 2024 by the president.
At the inaugural meeting of the new parliament on 21 November 2024, Asoka Ranwala, Rizvie Salih, and Hemali Weerasekara were unanimously elected as Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees, and Deputy Chairperson of Committees, respectively. Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) was recognised as the Leader of the Opposition. On 3 December 2023, Gayantha Karunathilaka of the SJB was recognised by the Speaker as the Chief Opposition Whip.
In December 2024, questions about the authenticity of Asoka Ranwala's educational qualifications sparked widespread calls for clarification from academics, officials, politicians, and the public. Amidst the growing controversy, Ranwala resigned as Speaker of Parliament on 13 December 2024.
On 17 December 2024, Jagath Wickremerathna was unanimously elected as the next Speaker of Parliament.