Immediately following the vote, the NDP again sided with the Liberals to pass legislation on capital gains taxes, averting another political crisis
Sri Lanka will hold a parliamentary election on November 14, the government announced on Tuesday, less than two months after the Indian Ocean island nation elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president.
Below are five key reasons why Dissanayake, who won the presidential poll at the weekend, called a snap general election:
Ride momentum
Dissanayake polled 5.6 million votes, or 42.3 per cent, in Saturday's poll, a massive boost to the three per cent he managed in the last presidential election in 2019. His nearest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, won 32.8 per cent.
The Marxist-leaning leader will hope to ride the same wave of approval and consolidate power in the 225-seat parliament.
Support from parliament
Dissanayake ran as a candidate for the National People's Power alliance, which includes his Janatha Vimukhti Peremuna (JVP) party. The coalition held just three seats in the current parliament elected in August 2020, prompting the new president to dissolve the legislature to try to strengthen his hand.
Despite his executive powers as president, fulfilling his pro-poor campaign promises of reducing taxes and freeing up public revenue for tax relief and investment will prove difficult without backing from parliament.
IMF programme
A four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout programme has helped Sri Lanka boost reserves, stem a fall in its currency and tame runaway inflation to kickstart a tentative economic recovery. But the austerity measures linked to the bailout angered many, who have pinned hopes of a better future on their next leader.
During campaigning, Dissanayake said he wanted to slash taxes and revisit the terms of the IMF bailout, promising to bring change for those reeling under the austerity measures. But passing a budget will be hard without support in parliament.
Debt rework
Sri Lanka is in the middle of restructuring about $25 billion foreign debt. Getting parliamentary support will strengthen Dissanayake's hand in negotiations with bondholders, who may in turn find policy clarity from the new president reassuring.
Cabinet numbers
The lack of numbers in parliament has also meant that Dissanayake was unable to name a fully-fledged cabinet of ministers after taking office on Monday.
He named Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister with five portfolios, while Vijitha Herath was given charge of six ministries, including foreign affairs. Dissanayake kept key ministries such finance, defence and energy to run himself.
Immediately following the vote, the NDP again sided with the Liberals to pass legislation on capital gains taxes, averting another political crisis
Iwao Hakamada, 88, had been accused of stabbing to death his former boss and family before burning down their home
Prime Minister Modi cancels a trip to Pune, nearly 200km from Mumbai, after authorities declared a red alert due to the rain
Half a million Lebanese estimated to have been displaced as Israel widened its airstrike
The president said this at a televised meeting with security officials on updating the country's nuclear deterrence doctrine
It is reportedly the largest number of executions reported in one day in years in Iraq
Wazed happy with army chief's tentative timeline on vote
Sri Lanka's new president has promised to reverse steep tax hikes, raise public servant salaries and renegotiate the International Monetary Fund rescue package secured by his predecessor