Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (AFP)

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka ’s new president is set to dissolve parliament shortly and call snap a legislative election six months ahead of schedule, a state-run newspaper said Sunday. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to exercise his constitutional power to sack the assembly when it completes four-and-a-half out of its five-year term on on Sunday night, Sunday Observer said.

Rajapaksa, 70, won a landslide at November presidential polls and appointed his older brother and former president Mahinda as PM. “A gazette will be issued announcing the dissolution of the present parliament at the end of the completion of fourand-a-half years,” the daily said quoting sources at Rajapaksa’s office.

“Yes we will definitely look to dissolve, we were prevented from going for early polls due to the 19th amendment to the constitution — a mistake of the previous government,” foreign minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. The amendment aims to curtail excessive powers of the presidency, leaving more power for the parliament. Official sources said a general election was most likely in the final week of April if the 225-member national assembly is dissolved by Monday as widely expected.

