The Island
The government might reconvene parliament, which was dissolved on February 9, on March 9 to extend the state of emergency, Leader of the House Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said yesterday.
A final decision in that regard would be taken at a party leaders’ meeting scheduled for this evening at the Parliament complex, he said.
Asked whether the former MPs of the dissolved Parliament could sit again and vote after the dissolution of parliament, the minister answered in the affirmative adding that there was no legal constraint.
The sixth parliament was dissolved by the President on February 9. The last time a motion seeking the extension of the state of emergency was taken was on February 05, the last day of the Sixth Parliament.
When parliament is dissolved the President is empowered to extend the state of emergency by issuing a special Gazette, the Minister said.
Minister De Silva said that the leaders of all political parties represented in Parliament had been summoned for the today’s meeting and they would decide whether to reconvene parliament or not. A senior parliament official told The Island that if party leaders took a decision to that effect, a special Gazette would be issued reconvening parliament.