Party leaders agreed that, in future, the Constitutional Council should not have Ministers as members, Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody said.

This agreement was reached when the matter of appointing the three civil society members was discussed, Weerakkody told Asian Mirror. This will be approved as a parliamentary resolution, he said.

However, this provision will not be applicable for the present Constitutional Council. In future, representatives of the President, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and the minorities will be only MPs, he said.

If a member of the CC is appointed a Minister, he shall resign and let another MP take his place, Weerakkody added.

The names of the three civil society members of the Constitutional Council are expected to be approved by the parliament when it convenes today. The names of former UN Under-Secretary Radhika Coomaraswamy, former judge A.W.A. Salaam and Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne have been already forwarded to the parliament, Weerakkody added.