16th Parliament of Sri Lanka

The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka, known officially as the 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.

Winners of polling divisions ■ SLPFA ■ SJB ■ TNA ■ SLFP ■ EPDP ■ Other parties

The 16th parliamentary election was held on 5 August 2020. The incumbent Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance claimed a landslide victory in the election claiming the majority winning 145 seats, while the newly formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya won a total of 54 seats and the National People's Power won 3 seats. 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.

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

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. SLPFA managed to exceed the majority cutoff of 113 with obtaining 128 seats from election votes and 17 seats from the national list.

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. Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected president by the parliament on 20 July and Dinesh Gunawardena was appointed as prime minister by president Wickremesinghe.

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. The motion was debated from 19 to 21 March, and was defeated with 75 votes for and 117 votes against.

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. The following day, Dissanayake appointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister. The same day, Dissanayake dissolved the parliament and called for snap parliamentary elections in November 2024.

• 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.

• 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.

• 15 November 2022 – 6 SLPP MPs leave the government and join the SJB.

• 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.

• 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.

• 1 January 2024 – SLFP MP Shan Wijayalal De Silva crosses over to the SJB.

• 7 April 2021 – Ranjan Ramanayake (SJB/GAM) lost his seat after being jailed, replaced by Ajith Mannapperuma (SJB/GAM).

• 6 July 2021 – Jayantha Ketagoda (SLPFA/NAT) resigned, replaced by Basil Rajapaksa (SLPFA/NAT).

• 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).

• 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).

• 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).

• 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).

• 9 January 2024 – Chaminda Wijesiri (SJB/BAD) resigned, replaced by Nayana Wasalathilake (SJB/BAD).

• 25 January 2024 – Sanath Nishantha (SLPFA/PUT) died, replaced by Jagath Priyankara (NFF/PUT).

• 27 February 2024 – Uddika Premarathna (SLPFA/ANU) resigned, replaced by Sarath Chandrasiri Muthukumarana (SLPFA/ANU).

• 4 April 2024 – K. H. Nandasena (SLPFA/ANU) died, replaced by M. G. Weerasena (SLPFA/ANU).

• 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).

• 30 June 2024 – R. Sampanthan (TNA/TRI) died, replaced by Kathiravelu Sanmugam Kuhadasan (TNA/TRI).

• 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).

• 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).