Wed Sep 25 03:17:00 UTC 2024: ## Sri Lankan President Calls for Snap Elections, Aims to Strengthen Power
**COLOMBO, SRI LANKA** – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has dissolved parliament and called for snap elections on November 14, marking a significant move in his bid to consolidate power. The new parliament will convene on November 21.
Dissanayake, who won the presidential election earlier this month, had pledged to form a new government. This move follows the resignation of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, paving the way for the president to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet.
Dissanayake’s National People’s Party currently holds only three seats in the 225-member parliament. The snap elections present an opportunity for him to secure a stronger mandate and solidify his position within the legislature.
The elections are widely seen as a referendum on Dissanayake’s reform policies aimed at stabilizing the Sri Lankan economy following the devastating economic crisis of 2022.
The dissolution of parliament also saw the swearing-in of Harini Amarasuriya, a university lecturer and activist, as interim prime minister. This marks a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to lead a Sri Lankan government in 24 years. Amarasuriya, a member of Dissanayake’s Marxist-leaning coalition party, shares a similar background with the president.
The last woman to serve as prime minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who held the position for three separate terms between 1960 and 2000. She was also the world’s first female prime minister when she took office in 1960.
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