In the wake of the tense situation in Parliament and to bring an end to the political instability in the country, President Maithripala Sirisena has summoned a special meeting of all party leaders and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at 5 p.m. today (November 18), at the Presidential Secretariat, a Presidential Media Division spokesperson told the Sunday Observer.
According to sources, the President had communicated this to all parties represented in the current Parliament, to arrive at a final and conclusive ending to this prolonged political deadlock.
The Sri Lanka Parliament faced one of the unpleasant parliament sittings in its history, adding a black mark last Friday, following clashes between MPs who didn’t allow the Speaker to conduct the session.
The rumpus within the House began as Speaker Karu Jayasuriya entertained a No Confidence Motion (NCM) against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Cabinet by a voice vote.
Members of the Government charged that the NCM was brought and passed without following the proper Parliamentary traditions and Standing Orders.
However, following a discussion with the President on Thursday, the Speaker had promised to follow all due Constitutional procedures of an NCM. But it was not successful. The Speaker entered the Chamber with the assistance of the police and had conducted an NCM for the second time even before controlling the House. Members of the Government and the Opposition had been continuously asking for a direct intervention by the President to resolve the situation. However, President Sirisena on Friday announced through a twitter message, that he had no intention of proroguing Parliament. “I urge all parliamentarians to uphold the principals of democracy and parliamentary traditions at all times. I will not prorogue Parliament under any circumstances,” the Twitter message stated. Parliament is due to convene tomorrow, November 19.