President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the eighth parliament last week citing the powers vested in him by the constitution.

A general election to elect members to the ninth parliament was announced to be held on 5 January 2019 with the nomination period beginning on 19 November and ending at 12 noon on 26 November, and the new parliament scheduled to meet on 17 January 2019.

In his most recent address, the president referred to the situation as an opportunity for the people to elect intelligent and experienced representatives to govern the nation. He explained that his decision to dissolve parliament was to avoid commotion and unpleasant situations for average citizens.