Sri Lankan Parliament to be summoned next Tuesday

Sri Lankan Parliament which was dissolved last month will be reconvened by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the government needs to get extend the state emergency for a period of another 30 days, reliable sources revealed Asian Tribune.

An official from the Leader of the House said that according to the guidelines which they had received, the Parliament will be summoned for a special session on March 09 as the government is in a need of continuing the state of emergency.

Questioned about the move, the United People’s Freedom Alliance’s General Secretary and Minister Susil Premajayantha said that after dissolution of the Parliament, the President executive power to summon it again before a general election. He also added that Sri Lanka’s Constitution’s chapter six authorizes the President to do so under the ‘The Legislature; Procedure and powers”.

Accordingly the Constitution says in its (7) of 70: “If at any time after the dissolution of Parliament the President is satisfied that an emergency has arisen of such a nature that an earlier meeting of parliament is necessary, he may by proclamation summon the parliament which has been dissolved, to meet on a date not less than three days from the date of such proclamation and such parliament shall stand dissolved upon the termination of the emergency or the conclusion of the general election, whichever is earlier.”

The Minister also added that the summoned Parliament will be effective till the period of state of emergency ends or the till the General elections is over. Anyway, the new parliament was due to gather on April 22.

Political sources reveled that the summoning of the parliament will open the doors for the parliamentarians again with their due privileges such as security etc. “Dissolution of the parliament discontinues all the privileges and benefits which was enjoyed by parliamentarians and deputy ministers. Only the Cabinet Ministers can entertain their privileges as usual even after the parliament was dissolved”, a spokesman from the Presidential Secretariat said.

- Asian Tribune -