Sri Lankan Parliament to convene from April 19

Amid one of the worst economic crisis in the country and a national emergency in force, the Sri Lankan Parliament is scheduled to convene on April 19.

This will be the second conveneing of the Parliament following the imposition of a national emergency by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on April 1, after the first session was convened on April 5.

The schedule of the meeting was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on Friday evening under Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Daily Mail Sri Lanka reported.

"Parliament is scheduled to convene on April 19 at 10.00 am and from 11.00 am to 4.30 pm," an official statement said. The session is scheduled to be held till April 22.

On April 3, 26 Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers resigned en masse from their positions amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis. All 26 of them signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new Cabinet to be formed.

Although President Rajapaksa on April 4 named at least four ministers to maintain the legitimacy of the government until a full Cabinet was appointed, he has asked opposition members to join a unity government to deal with the economic crisis.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa continue to occupy their offices despite large-scale protests across the country calling for their resignation.

Amid the severe economic crisis, National People's Power (NPP) MP Vijitha Herath on Friday said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should be impeached if he on his own doesn't quit and the no-confidence motion be brought against the incumbent government.

Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis, with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of the tourism sector.

Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has, incidentally, affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The country is facing long power cuts.

The country is also witnessing protests over the government's handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. Yesterday, a protest was held outside the US Embassy in Colombo against the Sri Lankan government.

( With inputs from ANI )

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