President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has prorogued Parliament from midnight yesterday (12) through an Extraordinary Gazette notification. 

Accordingly, the next session of parliament will commence at 10.00 a.m. on January 18, 2022.

The President had prorogued Parliament by virtue of the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Constitution.

The Gazette, issued by the Secretary to the President, prorogues Parliament with effect from midnight of 12.12.2021 and fixes the 18.01.2022 at 10.00 a.m. for the commencement of the next session and summon Parliament to meet in the chamber of Parliament.

With the signing of the gazette notification, the first session of the 9th Parliament marked its closure. 

Since 1947 the Parliament had been prorogued fifty times and after the year 1978, 25 new parliamentary sessions had been held. 

Once the parliament is prorogued the speaker will continue and his duties will not end. Accordingly the duty that has to be carried out from the new term will be able to proceed from the current stage.

When the term ends and a new session begin, it is ceremonially opened by the President. The President has the power to present Policy Statement of the Government. In the past it was known as the Throne Speech. It was presented by the Governor. According to the current practice, it is neither debated nor put to the vote.

Although the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament ended yesterday (02), Select Committee of Parliament to study and report to Parliament its recommendations to ensure Communal and Religious Harmony in Sri Lanka chaired by the Speaker and the Select Committee of Parliament to study and report to Parliament its recommendation to ensure National Evaluation Capacity in Sri Lanka chaired by the Deputy Speaker is still in function. 

In addition, the Committee on High Posts and all the Sectoral Oversight Committees in Parliament continue to function.