Adjournment Debate to be held after President’s throne speech on Jan. 18

An Adjournment Debate will be held after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s throne speech at the commencement of Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on January 18, says the Leader of the House, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The decision was taken at the meeting of political party leaders convened today (Jan. 11).

Last week, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had called for an Adjournment Debate following the President’s address to the House next Tuesday, pursuant to Article 33(A) of the Constitution.

The lawmaker wrote to both Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in this regard.

“This is a practice we have followed since the 1978 Constitution came into force,” he said.

The President prorogued Parliament from midnight on December 12, 2021, through an Extraordinary Gazette notification, by virtue of the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Constitution.

The next session of parliament is scheduled to be convened at 10.00 a.m. on the 18th of this month.

Accordingly, the UNP leader has requested the Speaker to allocate January 19, 20, and if necessary 21 this Adjournment Debate after consulting the political party leaders.