Parliament to be prorogued today

• Gazette notification on prorogation out today
• New session likely next week 
• President Gotabaya will open new session and make Govt. policy statement
  
   

By Chandani Kirinde 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will prorogue Parliament today, the Daily FT learns. 

The start of the new session of Parliament will be fixed for early next week, official sources said.

President Rajapaksa will open the new session of Parliament and is expected to deliver the policy statement of his Government, they said. The Gazette notification announcing the prorogation will be issued today. 

The President can prorogue Parliament under Article 70 of the Constitution and he is empowered to make a Statement of Government Policy at the commencement of each Session of Parliament and to preside at ceremonial sittings of Parliament. 

Last week President Rajapaksa appointed his Cabinet of 16 ministers as well as 38 State Ministers as part of the interim Government which will be in place till the next General Election.

The President is constitutionally empowered to dissolve Parliament on 1 March 2020 when it completes four-and-a-half years. The next Parliamentary Election is expected in late April or the first week of May.

President Rajapaksa is heading a minority Government with the UPFA which had 95 MPs. The UNP has 106 MPs, ITAK has 16 MPs, JVP 6 MPs, and the EPDP and SLMC one MP each in the 225-member Legislature.