ECONOMYNEXT — National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake will dissolve parliament the same night his victory is announced at Sri Lanka’s upcoming presidential election, Dissanayake said.
At a party event in Hambantota on Sunday June 09, Dissanayake said the NPP will win the parliamentary elections that will be held immediately after the presidential election.
The next parliament will have 120 to 130 MPs from the NPP, he added.
“We may be laughing and clapping, but what we’re doing is Sri Lanka’s biggest political transformation that will see power exchanged between the common people. The NPP is today opening up the road for talented, skilled youth in the villages to move forward in politics.
“Power must transfer to new leaders,” he said.
Dissanayake said though that the current parliament will not continue even for a day after he is elected at the presidential poll.
“In the current parliament, there are only three of us from the NPP. After we win the presidential election, we will dissolve parliament that very night. Remember that. It won’t be held for even a day.
“And after that? There are three of us now. It will surpass 120, 130. What does that mean? Those who have been kept out of parliament all this time, a massive number of children of farmers and fisher folk who came through free education will be in parliament.
“A new change,” he said.
The parliamentary election will be followed by the long delayed local government elections, he added.
In April, Sri Lanka’s main opposition the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) overtook the NPP in a voting intent poll for a future parliamentary election while SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has closed a gap with the NPP leader for this year’s presidential election.
The Institute for Health Policy (IHP) which carried out the two surveys for March 2024 found that its revised SLOTS MRP model, confirm an increasing trend in support for the SJB at the expense of the NPP.
“The SJB on 38 percent (+4) took the lead with all voters for the first time since 2022, ahead of the NPP/JVP on 35 percent (-2), the SLPP at 8 percent (unchanged) and President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) at 5 percent (unchanged). The March estimates are provisional and are associated with a margin of error of 1–3% for the four leading parties,” the IHP said in a statement. (Colombo/Jun10/2024)