Constitution /

CPA Statement on the Government’s Revised Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill

18th August 2022: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) notes the publication of the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill (the Bill) [Part II of the Gazette of 29th July 2022, supplement issued on 02nd August 2022]. The Bill was also placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on 10th August 2022. The Bill, […]

The Scope and the Content of The Constitution: Perspectives of Opinion Leaders

24th February 2022: The Scope and Content of the Sri Lankan Constitution: Perspectives of Opinion Leaders comprises a summary of findings that assesses the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of leaders from the four main ethnic communities (Sinhala, Tamil, Up Country Tamil and Muslim) across the island. These leaders included religious leaders, government officials, office holders of community-based organizations, teachers […]

Parliament: Law, History and Practice

  It gives us great pleasure to introduce this short treatise on the law, history, and practice of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The colonial origins of the legislature go back to 1833 when a Legislative Council was first established to provide advice and consent to the Governor in the making of laws for the […]

A brief guide to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution

19th July, 2021, The Sri Lankan government enacted a Constitutional Amendment within the first two months of its coming into power in August, 2020. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, so enacted, bears as its central feature the concentration of powers in the Executive President, and thereby erodes several of the democratic reforms introduced by […]

CPA statement on the Constitutionality of the SLPP National List Appointment

7th July 2021, The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is concerned by several media reports that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has appointed Mr. Basil Rajapaksa to fill the National List seat which fell vacant by the resignation of Mr. Jayantha Ketagoda. CPA notes that Mr. Basil Rajapaksa’s name was not included in the […]

Submission to Experts Committee to Draft a New Constitution Appointed by the Ministry of Justice

December 9th 2020, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), made the following submission which outlines CPA’s general views on the nature and form of a new constitutional settlement for Sri Lanka. The submission addresses some of the major constitutional issues that have been the basis of public debate for many years. Click here […]

Written Submissions by the CPA on the Case re the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution

On 23 September 2020, The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu filed a Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the proposed Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution. A Brief overview of the Petition filed on behalf of CPA and its Executive Director is available here. The CPA’s basic position was […]