- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will appoint a new Cabinet on tomorrow (November 18), following the NPP’s historic two-thirds majority victory with 159 seats in the 2024 Parliamentary Election: Limited to 23–25 ministries, the Cabinet will feature a “scientific allocation” of portfolios: The 10th Parliament’s inaugural session is scheduled for November 21, as per an earlier gazette notification.
- The United National Party (UNP), led by ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe, decides to contest all upcoming elections under its historic ‘elephant’ symbol: UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena confirms this strategy, aimed at reinforcing party stability and direction: The symbol, central to the UNP’s identity, remains a key element of its voter recognition.
- Leader of the SLPP ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the SLPP received its anticipated votes in the election: welcoms the NPP’s rise as a fresh opportunity for leadership: affirms respect for the public mandate, dismisses retirement from politics, and confirms “no current talks” with Ranil Wickremesinghe: expresses sympathy for Wickremesinghe’s electoral outcome while asserting SLPP’s resilience.
- An extraordinary gazette was issued declaring the names of all elected public representatives in the 2024 Parliamentary Election: These include 141 MPs from the NPP, which gained a landslide two-thirds victory, 35 MPs from the SJB, 3 MPs from the NDF, 2 MPs from the SLPP, 7 MPs from the ITAK, 2 MPs from the SLMC, and 6 MPs representing other political parties and groups.
- Ambika Samuel, the first woman Tamil MP representing the plantation community living in line rooms elected through the new ruling party NPP, calls for greater youth and women’s involvement in politics: views her entry as a breakthrough for young talent from the plantation sector and advocates for breaking societal limitations, enabling more women to rise to leadership roles in Parliament and beyond: Samuel has been a strong critic against the traditional Tamil political giants in the upcountry region, calling for renaissance by breaking the wheel of corrupt politics.
- The 2024 General Election saw a 10% drop in voter turnout compared to September’s Presidential Election, with 68.93% participation and 5% of ballots rejected (667,240 votes): Of 11,815,246 votes cast, 11,148,006 were valid: Election Commissioner Saman Sri Rathnayake stressed compliance with expense report submission and clarified national list MP eligibility, noting 3.5 million citizens abstained in the Presidential poll.
- Sri Lanka’s 2024 Parliamentary Election set a record with 21 women elected, surpassing the previous high of 13: The National People’s Power (NPP) secured 19 seats, including Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) won two: Additionally, the NPP plans to appoint three women via its national list, marking progress in women’s political representation.
- The Railways Department arranges special train services on November 17 and 18 to facilitate post-election and long weekend travel to Colombo: These include routes between Colombo Fort and key cities like Badulla, Kandy, and Matara, alongside regular schedules: The Samudra Devi will depart Matara at 3:50 a.m., with office trains running as usual.
- USS Michael Murphy of the United States Navy arrives at the port of Colombo on a replenishment visit: The Sri Lanka Navy welcoms the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions: The 155.2m – long Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer is manned by a crew of 333 and is commanded by Commander Jonathan B. Greenwald: set to depart the island today (17).
- The Constitutional Council confirms Justice Murdu Fernando as Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice, the second woman in the role after Shirani Bandaranayake in 2011: With over 30 years at the Attorney General’s Department, Fernando rose through key legal ranks before becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 2018: She initially took oath as Acting Chief Justice in October 2024.
