A total of 19 vacancies, 04 prorogations and 390 sitting days have been reported under the Ninth Parliament of Sri Lanka.
A Parliament statement reported the figures for the period of the Ninth Parliament, which commenced on August 20, 2020 and was dissolved at midnight on September 24, 2024.
As such, according to Article 66 of the Constitution, 19 vacancies of Parliamentary seats were reported and 16 members were appointed as new Members of Parliament on 18 occasions.
A total of 241 MPs have represented the Ninth Parliament. Jayantha Katagoda, ho was elected to Parliament from the national list, resigned and was replaced by Basil Rajapaksa. National List Member Ajith Nivard Cabral resigned, after which Jayantha Katagoda was again appointed to the vacancy. Similarly, the seat vacated due to the resignation of Mujibar Rahman was filled by A.H.M. Fowzie. Mujibur Rahman was once again appointed for the Parliamentary seat of Diana Gamage, which was vacated due to a court decision. However, a new MP was not appointed for the vacant Parliamentary seat of Harin Fernando.
One of the most significant events that captured public attention during this term was the election of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the 8th Executive President of Sri Lanka following the resignation of the 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Thus, 16 new Members of Parliaments have been appointed, including the appointment of a new MP to replace the Parliamentary seat that was vacated by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was a Member of Parliament.
The Ninth Parliament has also undergone four prorogations. The first two prorogations were carried out by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, while the third and fourth prorogations were initiated by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Meanwhile, five sessions were held in the Ninth Parliament. The first session lasted from August 20, 2020, to December 12, 2021; the second session from January 18, 2022, to July 28, 2022; the third session from August 3, 2022, to January 27, 2023; the fourth session from February 8, 2023, to January 26, 2024; and the fifth session from February 7, 2024, until the dissolution of Parliament on September 24, 2024.
During these five sessions, Parliament convened for a total of 390 days. (Newswire)