Cabinet approves 20A with 237 parliamentary seats

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers today approved the 20th amendment to the constitution increasing the number of seats in Parliament to 237 from 225.

The 237 seats include 145 MPs from First-Past-the Post (FPP) system while the rest consists of the Proportional Representation (PR) system and the National List.

The proposed constitutional amendment is to be gazette shortly, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa told Ada Derana.

The cabinet had earlier granted approval to a proposal put forward by the Prime Minister to elect 125 MPs from FPP system, 75 from PR system and the remaining 25 members from the National List.

However, certain political parties including several minority parties had voiced their objection to the proposal and called for an increase in the number of seats.

Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna yesterday said that a final decision will be reached with regard to the 20th at the special cabinet meeting on Friday (12).

He further said that the Parliament would be dissolved only after the 20th amendment is passed in Parliament.