Sirisena's Ally Thilanga Sumathipala Downplays Media Reports: Says President Has Made No Final Decision On Seeking Supreme Court Opinion On His Last Day In Office

Parliamentarian Thilanga Sumathipala said President Maithripala Sirisena was yet to make a final decision on seeking the Supreme Court's opinion on his last day in office. 

Speaking to the media, Sumathipala, a close ally of Sirisena, downplayed multiple reports that the President might seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on whether he could remain in office until June 2020.

"Some people need a Parliamentary election before the Presidential election. That's why they have expressed various viewpoints. But the President has not stated anything on the matter," the UPFA Parliamentarian added. 

However, it was SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera who said at  a press conference that the President was "seriously considering" the option of going to the Supreme Court to seek a clarification on his last day in office. 

Jayasekera said the 19th Amendemnt to the Constitution, which reduced President Sirisena's term to five years, was signed into law by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in June 2015. 

The SLFP General Secretary said there was a school of thought arguing that the President's five-year term should be calculated from the day the 19th Amendemnt was signed into law.