2017-10-03
News Categories : News
A special Sitting of Parliament was held today (Oct 03rd) at 2.30 p.m. to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Parliamentary Democracy in Sri Lanka. At the commencement of Public Business, the Hon. Prime Minister and the Hon. Leader of the opposition in Parliament moved a Vote as follows;
“That this Parliament at its meeting today commemorates with pride the 70th anniversary of its first meeting as an independent Parliament and notes that Parliament of Sri Lanka is the oldest Parliament elected by universal adult franchise in the Asia region with an unbroken record of democratic governance and wishes for itself and the people of Sri Lanka a prosperity, development and further strengthening of democratic traditions, principles and rule of law.”
The speeches began with His Excellency the President and was followed with speeches by the Hon. Prime Minister, Hon. Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Leader of the House, Hon. Chief Government Whip, Hon. Chief Opposition Whip, and the Hon. Leaders of the recognized political parties in Parliament. The Hon. Speaker delivered the Vote of Thanks.
Hon. Speakers of the Parliaments of the SAARC countries who are in Sri Lanka to participate in the 8th conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians were present at the Speaker’s Gallery to witness the occasion.
The first Parliament in Sri Lanka, known as “House of Representatives”, met for the first time on the 14th of October 1947 at the State Council building (Old Parliament Building) in Colombo. It consisted of 101 Members, of which 95 were elected by universal suffrage and 6 were nominated by the Governor-General.
The general election was held for a period of 19 days from 23rd of August to the 20th of September 1947. The United National Party won 42 seats, thereby obtaining a majority and selecting Rt. Hon. D. S. Senanayake as the country’s first ever Prime Minister. The other political parties that won seats at the general election were, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Bolshevik Leninist Party, Communist Party, Labour Party, All Ceylon Tamil Congress and the Ceylon Indian Congress. Twenty Independent candidates were elected as well. The Hon. Sir Francis Molamure, first Member for Balangoda, was elected as Speaker. Mr R. St. L. P. Deraniyagala, C.B.E was the Clerk to the House of Representatives.
The First Parliament of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was bicameral consisting of two chambers known as the Senate and the House of Representatives. It was established as per the proposals put forward by the Soulbury Commission and by way of a Ceylon (Constitution) Order in Council. This replaced the State Council of Ceylon which was established in 1931. The Senate was abolished in 1971 and the House of Representatives was replaced with the unicameral National State Assembly in 1972 when the first republican constitution was enacted. With the promulgation of the second republican constitution on 7th of September 1978, the First Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka superseded the Second National State Assembly.
The current Parliament is the 8th Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and the 17th overall. Since 1947, 14 MPs have held the office of Prime Minister, while 18 have been elected as Speaker of Parliament. There have been seven Secretaries-General of Parliament (previously known as Clerk to the House) to date.
First Sitting on October 14th 1947
2026-08-14
Parliament’s Official Website Also Wins Gold Award for Best Government WebsiteThe official website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, www.parliament.lk, recently won the Overall Silver Award for the Best Website Overall at the “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony.It is also noteworthy that the Parliament’s official website won the Gold Award in the “Best Government Website” category.The “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony, organized by the LK Domain Registry, was held on 12 August 2026 at the Monarch Imperial in Sri Jayawardenepura.More than 350 websites competed this year across 24 categories. The websites were evaluated based on a range of criteria, including technical implementation, performance, design, content, security, and other additional features.The Parliament’s official website has previously won awards at this competition on several occasions. This year’s participation is particularly significant as it marked the website’s return to the competition after a seven-year hiatus, following the launch of its revamped website.A large gathering of distinguished guests, experts, academics, as well as award winners and representatives of nominated websites, attended the awards ceremony. Mr. G. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister, participated as the Chief Guest.This recognition reaffirms the Parliament’s continued commitment to strengthening its digital presence and providing Parliamentary information to the public through its official online platform in an accessible, reliable, and user-friendly manner.
2026-08-13
A special awareness programme on parliamentary procedure for students of the Department of Sociology of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura was conducted by the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 10 August 2026. The programme was held at Committee Room No. 02 of the Parliament premises.As part of the programme, Assistant Director (Administration) of the Department of Legislative Services, Mrs. Chandima Subasinghe, conducted a session on “Parliament and the Legislative Process.” The students were briefed on the role of Parliament, the legislative process and parliamentary procedure.Speaking at the programme, Prof. Rasanjali Perera, Head of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, expressed her appreciation to the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for organising such awareness programmes for university students.She noted that gaining first-hand knowledge of the functioning of Parliament and the legislative process was a valuable and important experience for the students.Prof. Perera further noted that such programmes provide students with an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the theoretical knowledge they acquire through their academic studies. She also highlighted that these programmes make a significant contribution towards broadening students’ knowledge and enhancing their understanding of the parliamentary democratic process.At the conclusion of the programme, the students joined for a group photograph and also took part in a special guided tour of the Parliament premises.
2026-08-11
The Parliamentary business scheduled for the next sitting week, from 18 to 21 August 2026, has been decided.The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently, (7 August), under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne. Accordingly, on each of the four sitting days, the period from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allocated for the Parliamentary business specified in Standing Order No. 22 (1) to (6). The period from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allocated for Questions for Oral Answers, while the period from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allocated for questions under Standing Order No. 27(2).Tuesday, 18 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate the Regulations published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2496/38 under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, for approval.Thereafter, at 5.00 p.m., the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka (Incorporation) Bil, a Private Member’s Bill, is scheduled to be referred to the Legislative Standing Committee following its Second Reading.From 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Wednesday, 19 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate a Resolution under the Finance Act. (Vide Item No. 3 scheduled for 18.08.2026 in the Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, No. 4(4) issued on 07.08.2026).Thereafter, the period from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. has been allocated for Questions at the Adjournment Time.Thursday, 20 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to hold the Second Reading Debate on the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill.Thereafter, from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., the Motion at the Adjournment Time to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Friday, 21 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Government.
2026-08-11
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is not only a place where the affairs of the nation are discussed and decisions are made. It is also a place where the younger generation can come, explore, learn, and experience democracy firsthand.Among the many beautiful sights often seen within the Parliament premises are the little ones—the young buds who will one day grow into the leaders of tomorrow. Surrounded by the beauty of Diyawanna Oya, they have the opportunity to see the Parliament with their own eyes and gain a new and memorable experience beyond what they learn from books.Every day, preschool and schoolchildren, university students, and visitors representing educational institutions from all corners of Sri Lanka come to Parliament to discover its work and heritage.These visits offer a special opportunity to transform textbook knowledge about the parliamentary system into a real-life experience. Beyond visiting the Chamber and the surrounding premises, visitors are introduced to the functions of Parliament, including the legislative process, in ways suited to their age groups and fields of study.Officers of the Public Outreach Section of the Department of Communication, together with other members of the Parliament staff, are committed to making these visits meaningful, informative, and engaging for every visitor.And there is much more to discover—the natural beauty surrounding Parliament, together with its outstanding architectural and artistic heritage, offers visitors a glimpse into the unique character and history of our Parliament.Visit… Experience … Discover… This is Your Parliament! Photographs:A group of children and teachers from Kiddie Cove Preschool and Day Care Centre during their visit to the Parliament of Sri Lanka on the 10th August 2026.
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