Sri Lanka's recently elected president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has dissolved parliament and called for a general election to take place on November 14. 

Durig his presidential campaign, Dissanyake vowed to dissolve parliament immediately if he was elected and expressed confidence that the National People's Party (NPP) alliance would gain a significant majority.  

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has written to Sri Lanka’s new president, stating it looked forward to working with Anura Dissanayake “towards building on the hard-won gains that have helped put Sri Lanka on a path to economic recovery."

The letter from the global body comes as Dissanayake pledged to “renegotiate” a US $3 billion bailout loan that Sri Lanka heavily relies on in the wake of a devastating economic crisis.

“I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that we remain a steadfast partner and stand ready to assist Sri Lanka to achieve its development and reform goals, including under the ongoing IMF-supported program,” said the IMF.

Sri Lanka's newly appointed president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), spends the majority of his first day in office receiving various religious blessings including visiting monks and worshipping at a Buddhist temple.

In one of two posts on X about the visits on the 23rd September 2024, AKD posted pictures of visiting the Maha Nayaka of Malwatta Chapter of the Siam Sect Ven, the Chief Monk of the leading Buddhist Monastic Fraternity in Sri Lanka.

Days after Basil Rajapaksa, founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), left for the United States on election day, former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also departed the country, heading to Bhutan.

This development follows the SLPP General Secretary's denial that any members of the Rajapaksa family were fleeing the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly arrived in Kathmandu on Monday, traveling via Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan.

It is being widely reported that Sri Lanka’s parliament would be dissolved today with snap parliamentary elections scheduled for as early as December. The move comes following the victory of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s 9th Executive President. Despite his victory, Dissanayake lacked the majority in parliament that would help him govern the country for the next five years. 

Newly elected President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has assured the Archbishop of Colombo that he will do his utmost to uncover the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, pledging to launch a fresh investigation.

Dissanayake met Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and made this pledge shortly after being sworn in as the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka. 

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has called on newly elected Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake to embrace devolving power to the Tamil nation. 

Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has officially been appointed Sri Lanka’s next president. It marks a remarkable turnaround for a party that staged two violent insurrections against the Sri Lankan state. Indeed, it was a result that left many observers around the world somewhat taken aback by the direction Sri Lanka may be heading in. For those on the island, however, this is not a surprise.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the commanders of the security forces to discuss "defence priorities" shortly after he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's president. 

The newly elected president met with accused war criminal and Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, army commander Vikum Liyanage, navy commander Priyantha Perera and air force commander Udeni Rajapaksa to reportedly discuss national security and defence priorities.