"No Decision On Constitutional Amendment Before General Election": Chief Government Whip

The government will only make a decision on the proposed constitutional amendment after the next Parliamentary election, Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando said.

Speaking to the media, Fernando said the government did not want to proceed with the matter without a working majority in Parliament.

In the current Parliament, the opposition alliance commands a majority although they have opted to hand over the government to the SLPP.

"This is a transitory period. We will let this pass and think of a constitutional amendment after the General Election," he added. The Minister blamed the opposition alliance for creating instability in the country by engineering the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, in his inaugural speech to Parliament last week, stressed the need for a constitutional amendment in order to ensure a powerful Executive and a stable Parliament.