SRI LANKA’S president suspended parliament over the weekend until February 8, when he said he would announce a new set of long-term policies to address a range of issues including an unprecedented economic crisis that has engulfed the nation for months.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary decree suspending parliament from midnight Friday.

The government did not give a clear reason for the move, but Mr Wickremesinghe’s office in said a statement that his address to politicians on February 8 will announce new policies and laws, which will be implemented until the centenary celebrations of Sri Lanka’s independence in 2048.

Political analyst Jehan Perera said the president’s move to suspend parliament is “to show that he is the authority.”

He said that the suspension also “symbolises a fresh start” as the president gets the opportunity “to announce all the new things that are going to be done.”

Unsustainable debt, a severe balance of payment crisis on top of lingering scars of the Covid-19 pandemic have led to a severe shortage of essentials such as fuel, medicine and food.

The soaring prices triggered massive protests last year that ousted Mr Wickremesinghe’s predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Although there are some signs of progress, daily power cuts have continued due to fuel shortages and the government is struggling to find money to pay its employees and conduct other administrative functions.

There’s been a growing public displeasure over the government’s recent move to increase taxes and electricity bills in an apparent bid to obtain a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.