Colombo, Aug. 20 -- The first sitting of the 9th Parliament is scheduled to commence at 9.30 am on 20 August 2020 to elect the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No. 1 of Parliament.

Subsequently, all the new Members of Parliament (MPs) will take their official oaths or affirmation before the new Speaker. This will be followed by the appointment of a Deputy Speaker and a Deputy Chairperson of Committees.

The official oath or affirmation is expected to be taken either in Sinhala, Tamil or English and the relevant documents prepared in the respective language will be placed on the Chamber table.

Subsequently, the inaugural session of the 9th Parliament will be ceremonially declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the after...