Sri Lanka's newly elected parliament met for its first session on Thursday, November 21, 2024, following the historic landslide victory of the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) in the recent elections.
The session marked the beginning of the 10th parliament since 1978. At the start of the session, Ashoka Ranwala from the NPP was elected as the new speaker of the house, while Rizwie Salih was chosen as the deputy speaker. Additionally, Himali Weerasekera, a female member, was elected as the deputy chairman of the committee.
A significant aspect of these elections was that all three officials—Ranwala, Salih, and Weerasekera—are first-time members of parliament, a rare occurrence in Sri Lankan parliamentary history. Ranwala, a chemical engineer, was elevated to the speaker’s position after years of activism, including his leadership in trade unions at the state-run fuel corporation, CPC, which often faced left-wing trade union challenges.
The NPP made history on November 14, 2024, by securing 159 seats in the 225-member assembly, achieving a majority that includes a significant number of first-time members from both government and opposition parties. This marks the first time since 1989 that a government has won two-thirds control of parliament with more than 150 seats.
Following the appointments, the House was adjourned briefly before being reconvened for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to present his policy statement. As per the constitution, the president chairs the opening session of the assembly.
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