Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday said a snap parliamentary election was the only way the country could solve the ongoing political instability.

In a special statement released by his office, Rajapaksa said he invited all those who respected democracy to give careful thought to holding a parliamentary election, as this would be the only way to end the present crisis.

"In the gazette notification dated 9 November 2018 issued by the President in accordance with the provisions of our Constitution and the Parliamentary Elections Act, dates had been fixed to call for nominations from the 19th to the 26th November, to hold the poll on the 5th January 2019, and for the new Parliament to meet for the first time on the 17th January. If things had gone accordingly, stability would soon have been restored to this country," he added.

A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday issued an order preventing Rajapaksa from as acting as prime minister and holding cabinet meetings.

The Appeal Court began a hearing on a petition on Friday signed by 122 legislators that challenged Rajapaksa's role in office after he lost two no-confidence votes last month.

"An interim order is granted against the first respondent functioning as the prime minister...also issuing interim order against 30 other respondents functioning in their offices," judge Preethipadhman Surasena said.

Rajapaksa and his cabinet ministers have been asked to appear in court on December 12, the judge added.

Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a political crisis since Oct. 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Rajapaksa to the post.

Rajapaksa's party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, organized a mass activity in capital Colombo on Monday afternoon with hundreds of people calling for a snap parliamentary poll.

(Cover: Members of Parliament listens to the speaker during a special parliamentary session at the Parliamentary complex, Colombo, Sri Lanka on November 14, 2018. /VCG Photo)