Sri Lanka’s 22nd constitutional amendment gets court’s clearance

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that the bill seeking the 22nd amendment to the Constitution can be adopted with a two-thirds majority in Parliament and some clauses requiring a nationwide referendum, the Parliament Speaker announced on Tuesday.

The draft bill on the 22nd amendment, aimed at empowering Parliament over the executive president, was approved by the country’s Cabinet and gazetted last month. The 22nd amendment was originally named 21A and meant to replace the 20A.

The amendment was formulated amid the ongoing economic turmoil in the country which also caused a political crisis. It is meant to replace the 20A that had given unfettered powers to ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after abolishing the 19th Amendment.