16th Parliament of Sri Lanka

16th Parliament of Sri Lanka
← 15th 17th →
Overview
Legislative body	Parliament of Sri Lanka
Meeting place	Sri Lankan Parliament Building
Term	20 August 2020 (2020-08-20) – 24 September 2024 (2024-09-24)
Election	5 August 2020
Website	parliament.lk
Parliamentarians
Members	225
Speaker	Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (SLPP)
Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees	Ranjith Siyambalapitiya (SLFP) (2020–22) Ajith Rajapaksa (SLPP) (2022–24)
Deputy Chairman of Committees	Angajan Ramanathan (SLFP)
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa (SLPP) (2020–22) Ranil Wickremesinghe (UNP) (2022) Dinesh Gunawardena (SLPP) (2022–24) Harini Amarasuriya (NPP) (2024)
Leader of the Opposition	Sajith Premadasa (SJB)
Leader of the House	Dinesh Gunawardena (SLPP) (2020–22) Susil Premajayantha (SLPP) (2022–24)
Chief Government Whip	Johnston Fernando (SLPP) (2020–22) Prasanna Ranatunga (SLPP) (2022–24)
Chief Opposition Whip	Lakshman Kiriella (SJB)
Structure
Sessions
1st 20 August 2020 – 12 December 2021 2nd 18 January 2022 – 28 July 2022 3rd 3 August 2022 – 27 January 2023 4th 8 February 2023 – 26 January 2024 5th 7 February 2024 – 24 September 2024

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Sri Lanka
Constitution Amendments Law Human rights Taxation Previous Constitutions: 1931 1947 1972
Executive President of Sri Lanka (10th) Anura Kumara Dissanayake Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (16th) Harini Amarasuriya Cabinet Cabinet Ministers Ministers Ministries National Security Council Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake Secretary to the Prime Minister G. P. Saputhanthri Secretary to the Cabinet W. M. D. J. Fernando
Legislature Parliament of Sri Lanka (17th) Speaker Ashoka Ranwala Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees Rizvie Salih Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa Chief Opposition Whip TBA Secretary General Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera Constitutional Council COPE Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Cabinet Minister Ananda Wijepala Secretary to the Ministry D. W. R. B. Seneviratne
Judiciary Supreme Court of Sri Lanka Chief Justice Murdhu Fernando Puisne Justices P. Padman Surasena S. Thurairaja Gamini Amarasekera Yasantha Kodagoda A. H. M. D.Nawaz Kumuduni Wickremasinghe A. L. Shiran Gooneratne Janak De Silva Achala Wengappuli Mahinda Samayawardhena Arjuna Obeyesekere K. Priyantha Fernando Court of Appeal High Court District Court Magistrate's Court Primary Court Labour Tribunal Judicial Service Commission Bar Association Law enforcement Attorney General's Department Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena Ministry of Justice Cabinet Minister Harshana Nanayakkara Secretary to the Ministry Vacant
Elections Election Commission Chairman R. M. A. L. Rathnayake Members M. A. P. C. Perera Ameer Faaiz Anusuya Shanmuganathan Lakshman Dissanayake Elections Presidential 2015 2019 2024 Parliamentary 2015 2020 2024 Provincial council 2013 2014 (Mar) 2014 (Sep) Local government 2018 2019 2024 Referendum 1982 Electoral districts Polling divisions Political parties
Administrative divisions Provinces Central Eastern North Central Northern North Western Sabaragamuwa Southern Uva Western Districts Ampara Anuradhapura Badulla Batticaloa Colombo Galle Gampaha Hambantota Jaffna Kalutara Kandy Kegalle Kilinochchi Kurunegala Mannar Matale Matara Monaragala Mullaitivu Nuwara Eliya Polonnaruwa Puttalam Ratnapura Trincomalee Vavuniya District Secretariats Divisional Secretariats Grama Niladhari divisions Cities Towns Capital city
Devolution 13th Amendment Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Provincial Councils Provincial Governors Provincial Chief Ministers Provincial Councillors Local government Municipal Councils Urban Councils Pradeshiya Sabhas Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government Cabinet Minister Chandana Abayarathna Secretary to the Ministry S. Aloka Bandara
Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe Senior Deputy Governor K. M. A. N. Daulagala Currency Banknotes Economy Ministry of Finance Cabinet Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake Secretary to the Ministry K. M. Mahinda Siriwardana
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath Secretary to the Ministry Aruni Ranaraja Diplomatic missions of / in Sri Lanka Heads of missions of Sri Lanka Passports Visa requirements Visa policy
Related topics Sri Lanka History Flag Emblem Anthem Military
Sri Lanka portal Politics portal Other countries
v t e

The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka (9th Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) was the meeting of the Parliament of Sri Lanka with its membership determined by the results of the 2020 parliamentary election held on 5 August 2020. The parliament met for the first time on 20 August 2020 and was dissolved on 24 September 2024.^[1][2]

The 16th parliamentary election was held on 5 August 2020.^[3] The incumbent Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance claimed a landslide victory in the election claiming the majority winning 145 seats,^[4][5][6] while the newly formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya won a total of 54 seats and the National People's Power won 3 seats.^[7][8][9] The main opposition United National Party suffered their worst ever landslide defeat in history, claiming only one national seat and receiving the fifth most votes in the elections.^[10]

The first official results were released on 6 August 2020 in the afternoon starting with the postal votes in the Galle District.^[11]

The SLPFA became the largest group in Parliament after securing 59.09% of votes and 145 seats whilst the SJB won 23.90% of votes and 54 seats.^[12][13] SLPFA managed to exceed the majority cutoff of 113 with obtaining 128 seats from election votes and 17 seats from the national list.^[14]

Summary of the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election^[15][16][17]

Alliances and parties		Votes	%	Seats
				District	National	Total	+/–
	Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance[v] Ceylon Workers' Congress Mahajana Eksath Peramuna National Congress[i] National Freedom Front Pivithuru Hela Urumaya Socialist Alliance Communist Party of Sri Lanka Democratic Left Front[ii] Lanka Sama Samaja Party[iii] National Liberation People's Party Sri Lanka People's Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party[iv] Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	6,853,690	59.09%	128	17	145	50
	Samagi Jana Balawegaya All Ceylon Makkal Congress[vi] Jathika Hela Urumaya Sri Lanka Muslim Congress[vii] Tamil Progressive Alliance National Union of Workers United Progressive Alliance Democratic People's Front Up-Country People's Front United National Party (Sajith wing)	2,771,980	23.90%	47	7	54	New
	Tamil National Alliance[viii] Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization	327,168	2.82%	9	1	10	6
	National People's Power Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna	445,958	3.84%	2	1	3	3
	Tamil National People's Front[ix] All Ceylon Tamil Congress	67,766	0.58%	1	1	2	2
	Eelam People's Democratic Party	61,464	0.53%	2	0	2	1
	United National Party (Ranil wing)	249,435	2.15%	0	1	1	105
	Our Power of People's Party Bodu Bala Sena	67,758	0.58%	0	1	1	1
	Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal	67,692	0.58%	1	0	1	1
	Sri Lanka Freedom Party[iv]	66,579	0.57%	1	0	1	1
	Muslim National Alliance	55,981	0.48%	1	0	1	1
	Tamil People's National Alliance Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam Tamil Self Rule Party Tamil National Party Tamil People's Council	51,301	0.44%	1	0	1	1
	All Ceylon Makkal Congress[vi]	43,319	0.37%	1	0	1	1
	National Congress[i]	39,272	0.34%	1	0	1	1
	Sri Lanka Muslim Congress[vii]	34,428	0.30%	1	0	1
	Independents	223,622	1.93%	0	0	0
	United Peace Alliance	31,054	0.27%	0	0	0
	All Lanka Tamil Mahasabha	30,031	0.26%	0	0	0
	National Development Front	14,686	0.13%	0	0	0
	Frontline Socialist Party	14,522	0.13%	0	0	0
	Social Democratic Party of Tamils	11,464	0.10%	0	0	0
	Tamil United Liberation Front	9,855	0.08%	0	0	0
	Socialist Party of Sri Lanka	9,368	0.08%	0	0	0
	People's Welfare Front	7,361	0.06%	0	0	0
	Sinhalese National Front	5,056	0.04%	0	0	0
	New Democratic Front	4,883	0.04%	0	0	0
	United Left Front	4,879	0.04%	0	0	0
	Liberal Party of Sri Lanka	4,345	0.04%	0	0	0
	National People's Party	3,813	0.03%	0	0	0
	Democratic United National Front	3,611	0.03%	0	0	0
	National Democratic Front	3,488	0.03%	0	0	0
	Sri Lanka Labour Party	3,134	0.03%	0	0	0
	Democratic Left Front	2,964	0.03%	0	0	0
	New Sinhala Heritage	1,397	0.01%	0	0	0
	United Socialist Party	1,189	0.01%	0	0	0
	Motherland People's Party	1,087	0.01%	0	0	0
	Eelavar Democratic Front	1,035	0.01%	0	0	0
	Socialist Equality Party	780	0.01%	0	0	0
	Lanka Sama Samaja Party[iii]	737	0.01%	0	0	0
	All Are Citizens All Are Kings Organization	632	0.01%	0	0	0
	Democratic Unity Alliance	145	0.00%	0	0	0
	Independents					42
Valid Votes		11,598,929	100.00%	196	29	225
Rejected Votes		744,373	6.03%
Total Polled		12,343,302	75.89%
Registered Electors		16,263,885
Footnotes: ^ a b The NC contested separately in two districts (Ampara and Polonnaruwa) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ The DLF contested separately in two districts (Jaffna and Vanni) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ a b The LSSP contested separately in one district (Jaffna) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ a b The SLFP contested separately in three districts (Jaffna, Kalutara and Nuwara Eliya) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ The SLPFA contested under the name and symbol of SLPP. ^ a b The ACMC contested separately in one district (Ampara) and with the SJB in other districts. ^ a b The SLMC contested separately in one district (Batticaloa) and with the SJB in other districts. ^ The TNA contested under the name and symbol of ITAK. ^ The TNPF contested under the name and symbol of ACTC.

The Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance was able to form a government with a firm supermajority, with Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister.

Amidst nationwide protests in 2022, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned and Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as his successor.

On 13 July 2022, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned on 14 July 2022.^[18] Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected president by the parliament on 20 July and Dinesh Gunawardena was appointed as prime minister by president Wickremesinghe.^[19]

On 5 March 2024, the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya handed over a no-confidence motion against Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, claiming that his actions failed to protect the Constitution of Sri Lanka by allowing the signature of the Online Safety Bill.^[20][21][22] The motion was debated from 19 to 21 March, and was defeated with 75 votes for and 117 votes against.^[23][24]

On 23 September 2024, Prime Minister Gunawardena resigned, following NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake's victory in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election and subsequent inauguration.^[25] The following day, Dissanayake appointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister.^[26] The same day, Dissanayake dissolved the parliament and called for snap parliamentary elections in November 2024.^[27][28]

• The 20th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed in October 2020.
• The 21st Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed in October 2022.
• The Online Safety Bill was passed in January 2024.

The following are the changes in party and alliance affiliations for the 16th parliament.

• 5 April 2022 − 9 SLPP MPs and 16 more MPs formerly allied with the SLPFA government leave the government to work as independent MPs. The 14 SLFP MPs, 2 CWC MPs and ACMC MP Muszhaaraff Muthunabeen leave the SLPFA government and cross over to the opposition.^[29]
• 12 May 2022 − UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe is appointed as Prime Minister and joins the SLPFA government.
• 31 August 2022 − 13 SLPP MPs leave the government and cross over to the opposition as independent MPs, including SLPP chairman G. L. Peiris and SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma.^[30]
• 15 November 2022 – 6 SLPP MPs leave the government and join the SJB.^[31]
• 18 July 2023 – 2 SJB MPs (Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara) are expelled from their party for their support for the government. The 2 MPs cross over to the government as independent MPs, and are readmitted into the UNP a month later.^[32][33]
• 6 October 2023 – SLMC MP Ahamed Nazeer Zainulabdeen is expelled from his party and loses his parliamentary seat for his support for the government. His replacement sides with the opposition, thus resulting in one seat less for the government.^[34]
• 1 January 2024 – SLFP MP Shan Wijayalal De Silva crosses over to the SJB.^[35]

• 7 April 2021 – Ranjan Ramanayake (SJB/GAM) lost his seat after being jailed, replaced by Ajith Mannapperuma (SJB/GAM).^[36]
• 6 July 2021 – Jayantha Ketagoda (SLPFA/NAT) resigned, replaced by Basil Rajapaksa (SLPFA/NAT).^[37]
• 13 September 2021 – Ajith Nivard Cabraal (SLPFA/NAT) resigned to become Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, replaced by Jayantha Ketagoda (SLPFA/NAT).^[38]
• 25 November 2021 – Mahinda Samarasinghe (SLPFA/KAL) resigned to become Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States and Mexico, replaced by Lalith Varna Kumara (SLPFA/KAL).^[39][40]
• 9 May 2022 – Amarakeerthi Athukorala (SLPFA/POL) was beaten to death by a mob, replaced by Jagath Samarawickrama (SLPFA/POL).
• 9 June 2022 – Basil Rajapaksa (SLPFA/NAT) resigned, replaced by Dhammika Perera (SLPFA/NAT).
• 20 July 2022 – Ranil Wickremesinghe (UNP/NAT) vacated his seat after taking oaths as President of Sri Lanka, replaced by Wajira Abeywardane (UNP/NAT).
• 19 January 2023 – Mujibur Rahman (SJB/COL) resigned, replaced by A. H. M. Fowzie (SJB/COL).^[41]
• 6 October 2023 – Ahamed Nazeer Zainulabdeen (SLMC/BAT) was dismissed from his seat after being expelled from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, replaced by Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana (SLMC/BAT).^[34]
• 9 January 2024 – Chaminda Wijesiri (SJB/BAD) resigned, replaced by Nayana Wasalathilake (SJB/BAD).^[42][43]
• 25 January 2024 – Sanath Nishantha (SLPFA/PUT) died, replaced by Jagath Priyankara (NFF/PUT).^[44][45][46]
• 27 February 2024 – Uddika Premarathna (SLPFA/ANU) resigned, replaced by Sarath Chandrasiri Muthukumarana (SLPFA/ANU).^[47][48][49]
• 4 April 2024 – K. H. Nandasena (SLPFA/ANU) died, replaced by M. G. Weerasena (SLPFA/ANU).^[50][51]
• 8 May 2023 – Diana Gamage (SJB/NAT) was disqualified from her seat after the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled she was not a Sri Lankan citizen, replaced by Mujibur Rahman (SJB/NAT).^[52][53][54]
• 30 June 2024 – R. Sampanthan (TNA/TRI) died, replaced by Kathiravelu Sanmugam Kuhadasan (TNA/TRI).^[55]
• 9 August 2024 – Manusha Nanayakkara (SJB/GAL) and Harin Fernando (SJB/NAT) were disqualified from their parliamentary seats after the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that they had been expelled from their party and had subsequently joined a different party. Nanayakkara was replaced by Bandula Lal Bandarigoda (SJB/GAL).^[56][57]
• 21 August 2024 – Thalatha Atukorale (SJB/RAT) resigned, replaced by Karu Paranawithana (SJB/RAT).
• 23 September 2024 – Anura Kumara Dissanayake (NPP/COL) vacated his seat after taking oaths as President of Sri Lanka, replaced by Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi (NPP/COL).