2026-09-25
The Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was passed with a special majority in Parliament today (Sep. 25).
The division on the Second Reading of the Bill commenced at 7.13 p.m., with 158 votes in favour and 63 votes against. Accordingly, the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was passed by a special majority in Parliament.
Thereafter, the amendments introduced to Clause 2 at the Committee Stage were also passed by a special majority in Parliament, receiving 158 votes in favour and 63 votes against.
At the Third Reading of the Bill, 158 votes were cast in favour and 63 votes against. Accordingly, the Third Reading of the Bill was passed with a special majority in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill was also passed with a majority in Parliament today.
The division on the Second Reading of the Bill commenced at 7.53 p.m., with 158 votes in favour and 63 votes against.
At the division on the Third Reading of the Bill, 158 votes were cast in favour and 62 votes against.
Accordingly, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill was passed at the Third Reading in Parliament without amendments, by a majority of 95 votes.
The Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill were presented to Parliament for First Readings by the Minister of Justice and National Integration on 18 August 2026.
The Second Reading debates on both Bills were held in Parliament yesterday (24) and today (25).
2026-09-25
A delegation from the European Parliament visited the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 24th September 2026 and held a series of meetings with the Hon. Speaker of Parliament, the Hon. Deputy Speaker, and the Hon. Members of Parliament representing both the Government and the Opposition.The delegation was led by Prof. Sven Simon, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO). The delegation also comprised Mr. Ralf Seekatz, Member of the European Parliament; Mr. Benjamin Oppermann, Policy Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Security and Defence of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group; Mr. Jonas Nitschke, Policy Adviser, Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia, KAS Singapore; Mr. Sven Nicolay, Programme Manager, Multinational Development Policy Dialogue, KAS Brussels; Mr. C. A. Hettiarachchi, Attorney-at-Law, Registrar and Director, IDAG; and Mr. S. Wimalagunarathna, Programme Consultant, IDAG.The delegation was welcomed by the Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, who emphasized the importance of further strengthening the partnership and Parliamentary cooperation between the Parliament of Sri Lanka and the European Parliament. The Secretary General of Parliament, Ms. Kushani Rohanadeera, was also present at this meeting.During the meeting, the Hon. Speaker recalled the recent high-level exchanges between Sri Lanka and the European Union and expressed appreciation for the continued engagement under the EU GSP+ framework, which has contributed to Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development and its efforts to uphold international standards.He also briefed the delegation on measures taken by Sri Lanka in areas including the maintenance of law and order, combating corruption, advancing the reconciliation process, safeguarding human rights, increasing women’s representation in decision-making, and the establishment of mechanisms to further promote women’s rights. He further highlighted efforts towards greater inclusivity, including measures addressing the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. The European Parliament delegation expressed its appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended by the Parliament of Sri Lanka and engaged in a cordial exchange of views on Sri Lanka’s political and social context, democratic institutions, ongoing developments and constitutional reform. The delegation also met with the Hon. Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih and held cordial discussions on the constitutional amendment process, Sri Lanka’s political system and the country’s socio-economic situation.The Hon. Deputy Speaker expressed appreciation for the continued support and engagement extended by the European Parliament and the European Union towards Sri Lanka, noting the importance of such cooperation in supporting the socio-economic advancement and well-being of the people of Sri Lanka.The delegation subsequently held separate discussions with the Hon. Members of Parliament representing the Government and the Opposition. The Opposition Members of Parliament included Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, and Hon. Dr. Kavida Jayawardena, while Hon. Chandima Hettiarachchi participated in discussions representing the Government. Hon. Champika Hettiarachchi, was also present at the meeting with Hon. Chandima Hettiarachchi.The discussions focused on Sri Lanka’s prevailing political and socio-economic context, challenges facing the country, the background to the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, and matters relating to the strengthening of democratic institutions and processes.During their visit, the Members of the European Parliament delegation also observed Parliamentary proceedings from the Hon. Speaker’s Gallery. The Hon. Speaker welcomed the delegation to Parliament by making an announcement in the House.The visit also included a guided tour of the Parliament premises, providing the delegation with an opportunity to learn more about the traditions and functions of Parliament of Sri Lanka.
2026-09-24
H.E Khaled Nasser Al Ameri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Sri Lanka, paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Dr. Rizvie Salih on 23rd September at the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Secretary General of Parliament Ms. Kushani Rohanadeera was also present at the meeting.Welcoming the UAE Ambassador, the Deputy Speaker reaffirmed the longstanding and cordial bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. He expressed his appreciation for the support extended by the UAE to Sri Lanka, particularly the economic contribution arising from the large Sri Lankan workforce employed in the UAE.The Deputy Speaker also welcomed the increase in the number of tourists travelling from the UAE to Sri Lanka and emphasized the importance of further strengthening cooperation in the tourism sector between the two countries.He further stated that the Sri Lanka - UAE Parliamentary Friendship Association is expected to be revived in the Tenth Parliament, with the objective of further strengthening Parliamentary relations and expanding cooperation across various sectors.Ambassador Khaled Nasser Al Ameri expressed his appreciation for the contribution of Sri Lankan workers to the economies of both countries. He noted that the Sri Lankan workforce in the UAE is highly valued and appreciated for being skilled, peaceful and respectful. The Ambassador also highlighted the strong trade relations between Sri Lanka and the UAE, as well as the importance of strong air connectivity between the two countries. He appreciated Sri Lanka’s natural beauty, social values and cultural richness. The discussion also focused on further enhancing cooperation in education and higher education for the mutual benefit of both countries. Attention was also drawn to the ongoing UAE–India–Sri Lanka tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at developing Trincomalee as a regional energy hub, as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the field of security.The Ambassador commended the hospitality of the Sri Lankan people and their warm and welcoming nature, noting the friendliness and smiles of the people as among Sri Lanka’s valued attributes. He reaffirmed that the UAE would continue to extend its support to Sri Lanka as a close and trusted friend.
2026-09-24
Mr.Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan was sworn in today (Sep. 24) as a Member of the Tenth Parliament before the Hon. Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.Following the oath and affirmation before the Speaker, he signed the Members’ Roll placed beforethe Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera.Mr.Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan has been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mr. Mohamed Sheriff Abthul Wazeeth, who served as a National List Member of Parliament representing the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. An Attorney-at-law by profession, Mr.Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan completed his school education at Oddamavadi Central College in Batticaloa. He is also serving as the Kalkudah Electorate Organizer of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.
2026-09-23
Promotion of Export Agriculture (Amendment) Bill debated today also passed by ParliamentSupplementary Estimate No. 05 of 2026 relating to the Ministry of Energy was approved by Parliament today (Sep. 23) following a debate.The Supplementary Estimate was presented to provide financial assistance of Rs. 17,213 million to provide relief to the public in relation to electricity bills. The funds required for the Supplementary Estimate have been allocated from provisions originally allocated to Line Ministries for 2026 but identified as unlikely to be utilized by the end of the year. Accordingly, the transfer of these provisions will be carried out without affecting either the overall expenditure ceiling approved under the Appropriation Act, No. 23 of 2025, or the Government’s maximum borrowing limit.The Supplementary Estimate was considered by the Committee on Public Finance yesterday (22), following which it received the approval of the Committee.Meanwhile, the Promotion of Export Agriculture (Amendment) Bill, which was taken up for debate today, was also passed by Parliament without amendments.The Bill was introduced to amend the Export Agriculture Promotion Act, No. 46 of 1992. Although, under the restructuring of the institutional structure of the Department of Export Agriculture, new positions were created and existing positions were upgraded, resulting in the designation “Director” being changed to “Director General,” the relevant provisions of the Export Agriculture Promotion Act, No. 46 of 1992, had not been amended accordingly. Furthermore, other related designations requiring amendment had also not been revised. The necessary amendments have therefore been introduced through this Bill.Furthermore, the definitions of export agricultural crops referred to in the aforesaid Act as “notified agricultural crops” have become practically incompatible with current production and market conditions. Accordingly, the need had arisen to revise and update the relevant definition so that it is appropriate for the present and future export agriculture sector.Accordingly, the Bill provides that, in place of the definition of the term “Export Agricultural Crop” in Section 19 of the Act, the term shall mean means any crop identified as a crop that have an export potential in addition to the local consumption other than paddy, vegetables, fruits, root crops and additional food crops belonging to the category of food crops and declared by the Minister in charge of the subject as “a notified agricultural crop” under section 2 of this Act. It further provides that any crop identified as a plantation crop shall not be included in this definition.
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