Colombo, December 13
In an unusual move, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has prorogued Parliament for one week and left for Singapore on an unscheduled visit.
There was no immediate comment from the government on Rajapaksa’s decision to suspend Parliament for a week. Parliament, which ended its sessions on Friday, was originally set to convene on January 11. It will now convene on January 18.
President Rajapaksa, through an extraordinary gazette notification dated December 12, suspended the Assembly. Presidential officials said that he was on a private visit, believed to be for medical purposes.
Two key issues billed for discussions during the Monday’s Cabinet meeting would not be taken up, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told the media.
The weekly Cabinet meeting was to discuss the possibility of Sri Lanka going for a bailout package from the IMF in view of the severe foreign currency crisis.
Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves have slipped to the lower level to suffice only a month’s imports.
The President’s action means all standing committees in Parliament would have to be reconstituted and reconvened. — PTI
(The article is generated from feeds via CT, The Chenab Times staff didn’t write this news.)
The Chenab Times News Desk