Category: Local News

Minister of Tourism and Wildlife Wasantha Senanayake says he will resign from his ministerial portfolio as he believes that the incumbent government does not have a majority in Parliament.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today announced that the no-confidence motion brought in against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and the Government passed in Parliament.

Ministers A. H. M. Fowzie, Piyasena Gamage and MP Manusha Nanayakkara crossed over to the Opposition bench at the parliamentary session today (14).

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has decided to hand over a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said.

The National Security Council convened a meeting yesterday (13) under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, the President’s Media Division said.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said today Parliament would be convened tomorrow at 10.00 am as per the gazette (2095/50) issued by President Maithripala Sirisena dated November 4, 2018, the Speaker’s office said.

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a Twitter message that the people have won their first victory.

UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa said the Supreme Court’s interim order on the dissolution of parliament was not the Court’s final decision.

The Supreme Court has issued a stay order temporarily suspending the Gazette notification issued by the President on the dissolution of Parliament.

The Rupee crossed the 177 mark once again against the US Dollar as political uncertainty triggered by President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament weighed on sentiment.

The Attorney General has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss all petitions filed against the dissolution of Parliament as the President’s decision is consistent with the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

Five petitions of intervention have been filed at the Supreme Court in support of the President’s decision to dissolve Parliament and call a General Election.

Amidst the intensifying political crisis in the country, a cross-section of Parliamentarians of the United National Party (UNP) openly requested Party Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa to be the UNP Leader and the Prime Ministerial Candidate of the UNP in any General Election in the future.

President Maithripala Sirisena has asked that all former MPs, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers return their vehicles and public property to the relevant Ministry Secretary to avoid having legal action taken against them under the Election law.

Eight Western countries stayed away from a meeting with Sri Lanka’s government on Monday to register their protest against President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament, diplomatic and government sources said.

The petitions filed against the dissolution of Parliament were taken up for hearing by the Supreme Court today (November 12). The cases were heard by a 3 judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera.