Parliamentary debate on 22nd Amendment Bill to Constitution postponed

The 22nd Amendment Bill to the Constitution will not be taken up for debate today (Oct. 06), Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena informed the House.

Accordingly, the Amendment Bill will be debated at the next parliamentary session, he said further.

The decision was reached at the meeting of political party leaders held earlier today.

A two-day debate had been scheduled for the Amendment Bill on October 06 from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm. and October 07 from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm.

The 22nd Amendment Bill to the Constitution was approved for its Second Reading at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms held on Oct. 04.

The meeting was headed by its chairman Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms.

Briefing those present in terms of the changes intended by the Amendment, the minister stated that amendments were made under the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution going beyond what was included in the Nineteenth Amendment to ensure democracy. 

Accordingly, a salient feature is that under Article 41C the President shall appoint the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka subject to the approval of the Constitutional Council. This was not incorporated in the Nineteenth Amendment, the minister stated.

Furthermore, under the Nineteenth Amendment, the power for an Executive President to hold Defence, Mahaweli and Environment portfolios has been limited to Defence under the Twenty Second Amendment.