Today (29) marks the 40th anniversary of the relocation of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to its present building in Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte.
Due to the lack of space in the Parliament Building at Galle Face, necessity arose to move it to another building. It was proposed to construct a new Parliament building at Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte. Accordingly, the construction of the new Parliament complex commenced in the year 1979 on a small 16-acre island at the heart of the Diyawanna Oya in the Kotte area in Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte.
Under the guidance of the then President J. R. Jayewardene, Ranasinghe Premadasa, the then Prime Minister directed the construction of this building. Accordingly, Geoffrey Bawa was selected as the Chief Architect and a Japanese company was assigned to construct the new building. Locality has been given priority in all architectural splendorsplendour of the Parliament building which is based on the Sri Lankan traditions.
Construction of the building at Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte was completed in 1982 and the new Parliament was ceremonially opened on April 29, 1982. Accordingly, the proceedings of the Parliament located at Galle Face were moved to the newly constructed Parliament at Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte on the said date.
Especially with the opening of the new Parliament building, Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte became the main administrative city of Sri Lanka.
Entrance to the present Parliament premises falls through a road consisting a row of iron wood trees. 'Ambalam', built according to the old architectural style under the concept of bringing people closer to the Parliament can be seen around the Parliament premises. These places are said to have been built for the purpose of bringing together politicians and the people of their electorates to facilitate conversation. A beautiful pond is visible at the entrance to the building.
Near the main entrance to the Parliament, you can see some of the great murals of the artist Dr. Manjusri. The main entrance of the chamber is made of copper, covered with a silver plate. The preamble of the Constitution of Sri Lanka is engraved in Sinhala, Tamil and English. The chamber of Parliament is rectangular in shape and is spread over two floors. Also, the silver-plated chandelier hanging in the center of the chamber adds solemnity to the chamber.
2026-09-30
First Reading of the Budget - October 7 Budget Speech - November 12 The Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided that the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill for the year 2027 (Budget Speech/presentation of Budget proposals) will take place on November 12, 2026, followed by the Second Reading debate from November 13 to December 14.The decision was approved at a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently (Sep. 25) under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.Accordingly, the Appropriation Bill is scheduled to be presented to Parliament for its First Reading on October 7.It was further decided that the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill (Budget Speech) will be delivered by the Hon. President, in his capacity as the Minister in charge of Finance, on Thursday, November 12, 2026. Thereafter, the Second Reading debate will be held for seven days, from November 13 to November 20. Accordingly, the vote on the Second Reading will be held at 6.00 p.m. on November 20.Thereafter, the Committee Stage debate will be held for 19 days, from November 21 to December 14, with the vote on the Third Reading of the Budget scheduled for 6.00 p.m. on December 14.During this period, the Budget debate will be held every day, including Saturdays, except on public holidays and Sundays. Parliament is scheduled to meet at 9.30 a.m. on each of these days.From 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. each day, time will be allocated for the Parliamentary business specified under Standing Order 22(1) to (6). Thereafter, five Questions for Oral Answers will be taken up from 10.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., followed by one question under Standing Order 27(2) from 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.Accordingly, the debate is scheduled to be held from 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. On all days except the two days on which votes are scheduled to be taken, Motions at the Adjournment Time will be taken up for debate from 6.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., based on a 50:50 time allocation between the Government and the Opposition, the Secretary General further stated.It was also approved that during the Second Reading debate, 60% of the debate time will be allocated to the Government and 40% to the Opposition, while during the Committee Stage debate, 40% will be allocated to the Government and 60% to the Opposition.Furthermore, if a division is called for on a Expenditure Head relating to a Ministry, the relevant vote will be held at 6.00 p.m. at the conclusion of the proceedings on the respective day.
2026-09-25
Speaker also Endorses the Judicature (Amendment) BillHon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne today (Sep. 25) endorsed the certificate on the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill.The Second Reading debate on the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was held in Parliament yesterday (24) and today, following which the Bill was passed with a special majority in Parliament.The Bill provides for increasing the retirement age of Supreme Court Judges from 65 to 67 years, and the retirement age of Court of Appeal Judges from 63 to 65 years.It also proposes to amend Article 137 of the Constitution to increase the number of judges of the Court of Appeal from 19 to 24. Accordingly, the establishment and operation of regional Courts of Appeal is expected to facilitate the expeditious disposal of pending cases and reduce the need for parties to cases to travel to Colombo.Accordingly, the Constitutional Amendment Bill will come into force as the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution.Meanwhile, Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne also endorsed his certificate today on the Judicature (Amendment) Bill.The Second Reading debate on the Bill was held in Parliament yesterday (24) and today, following which the Bill was passed by a majority of votes in Parliament today.The amendment increases the retirement age of High Court Judges from 61 to 63 years, and the retirement age of District Judges and Magistrates from 60 to 62 years.Furthermore, by amending Section 4 of the Judicature (Amendment) Bill, the Bill provides for increasing the maximum number of High Court Judges from 110 to 120, enabling the establishment of additional Provincial High Courts and Provincial Civil Appellate High Courts.Accordingly, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill will come into force as the Judicature (Amendment) Act, No. 23 of 2026.
2026-09-25
Judicature (Amendment) Bill also Passed with a MajorityThe 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.
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