Sri Lanka`s new president dissolves parliament

Sri Lanka's new president has dissolved parliament to make way for a snap general election, reports BBC.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved the 225-member parliament in which his left-leaning National People's Power (NPP) alliance had just three seats.

The election will take place on 14 November, almost a year ahead of schedule, according to a notification in the official government gazette.

The president also selected his ally Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Tuesday, choosing a woman for the third time in the country's history.

Dissanayake won the nation's presidential election on Saturday.

He had signalled he would dissolve parliament soon after being elected to seek a fresh mandate to pursue his policies. He previously said there was "no point continuing with a parliament that is not in line with what the people want".

The last general election in Sri Lanka, where MPs are elected for a five-year term, took place in August 2020._Agencies.