First Cabinet meeting of new Govt. | 19A out, 20A in
- Cabinet approves abolition of 19A
- Drafting of 20A officially commences
The Cabinet of Ministers of the newly appointed Government yesterday (19) granted approval to introduce the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.
The Cabinet granted its approval to abolish the 19th Amendment and draft the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Minister of Mass Media and newly appointed Cabinet Spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said.
A five-member committee was appointed yesterday to draft the proposed constitutional amendment.
The committee consists of Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC and includes Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Udaya Gammanpila, Prof. G.L. Peiris, and Dinesh Gunawardena.
Accordingly, the 20th Amendment to the Constitution will be drafted and presented to the Cabinet of Ministers before being tabled in Parliament for approval.
Senior members of the Government said earlier that the proposed amendment will include clauses from the 18th and 19th Amendments as well as several fresh clauses.
The proposed constitutional amendment will not extend the presidential term or increase the number of times a president can contest for office, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Founder/theoretician Basil Rajapaksa said.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC noted that the proposed constitutional amendments will not be harmful or unfair to any citizen of the country.
