The Parliament of Sri Lanka will draft a new Constitution in which the limit on the power of the President will be removed. This was stated by the head of state Gotabaya Rajapaksa, writes Khaleej Times.
“The new basic law of the country will repeal the 19th amendment restricting presidential powers in order to strengthen the power of the Parliament,” TASS quoted him as saying at the opening of the parliamentary session this week. According to Rajapaksa, the new version will give priority to the concept of “one country, one law for all”.
The amendment was adopted in 2015. It limits the possibility of holding the post of President for two terms, and also extends the rights of parliamentary committees.
The opportunity to cancel the amendment came to Rajapaksa after the party of his native elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa won the parliamentary elections on August 5. Together with its allies, it had one vote more than it needed to be able to change the Constitution. Mahinda took over as Prime Minister in the new government.