The Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament will be ceremonially declared open on January 3 at 10 am under the patronage of the President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Given that Article 70 (1) of the Constitution gives the President the power to rescind Parliament, the President decided to end the term of Parliament issuing a special gazette notification on the 2nd of December 2019. The new Parliamentary session on the 3rd will commence with the arrival of the invitees at 9.00 a. m. The arrival of the members of Parliament will take place first followed by the arrival of the Speaker of Parliament Karu Hayasuriya, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and President Gotabhaya Rajapakse