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22nd Amendment to the Constitution passed
21 Oct, 2022
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was passed in Parliament today after 2 days of debate.
The amendment was passed during the Second Reading with 179 MPs voting for and 1 MP voting against it.
MP Sarath Weerasekera was the only MP who voted against the 22nd Amendment.
The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party as well as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (National People’s Party) voted for the 22nd Amendment.
The third reading of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was also passed by Parliament with 174 MPs voting for and 1 MP abstaining.
Meanwhile, MPs Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prasanna Ranatunga were among those absent during the vote.
This constitutional amendment features the inclusion of the constitutional council and enforcement of the Independent Commissions.
Anyone who is a dual citizen will no longer be allowed to be a member of Parliament, and present dual-citizen MPs will also lose their seats.
The constitutional amendment also allows the President to dissolve the parliament after 2 and a half years of the parliament being elected.
In addition, the Opposition Leader will also have to consult when appointing civil society members to the constitutional council.?(Colombo Gazette)
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