Proposals for the 21st Amendment to the Constitution have been presented to the Cabinet of Ministers today (May 23).

Accordingly, the Cabinet has decided to forward the draft proposals to the party leaders for their comments by Friday (27). 

The first meeting of the new Cabinet was held today under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that a full report with the relevant amendments will be submitted to the Cabinet after consulting the party leaders on the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.

The Prime Minister said this while making a special statement regarding the relevant constitutional amendment.

He stated that the committee met today to discuss the 21st Amendment to the Constitution and that it was decided to discuss Minister Wijayadasa Rajapaksa’s draft proposal and present it to the Cabinet. 

The PM said they discussed this bill in the Cabinet and instructed to handed it over to all the party leaders in Parliament and instructed them to discuss with them and then report to the Cabinet.

“Accordingly, Minister Wijayadasa Rajapaksa will hand over copies of the 21st Amendment to party leaders in Parliament. After that we hope to meet on Friday and get those ideas. Thereafter a full report will be submitted to the Cabinet along with the amendments,” he said.

“We are looking at expeditiously publishing this amendment first in the Gazette and then allowing those who want to go to the Supreme Court. Present it to Parliament and pass this amendment immediately with the full support of all.”