COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president has dissolved Parliament and called for elections on Jan. 5 in a bid to stave off a deepening political crisis over his dismissal of the prime minister that opponents say is unconstitutional. Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena dissolves parliament: The political turmoil in Sri Lanka deepened on Friday, November 9, after President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament, calling for early elections in the country on January 5, almost 2 years ahead of schedule. The notice says names of candidates for new elections will be called for one week from Nov. 19, and the election will be held on Jan. 5. The island nation has been facing a political turmoil since October 26, when President Sirisena dissolved his cabinet and sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapakse to the post. Wickremesinghe denounced Sirisena's attempt to remove him from office and refused to leave the official prime minister's residence, claiming the president does not have the power to take such action. Wickremesinghe’s camp is likely to contest Sirisena’s move because of constitutional provisions stating that the Parliament can’t be dissolved until four and a half years after its inception. The current Parliament was elected in August 2015.
President Maithripala Sirisena dissolves Parliament.