The 19th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution is cited as one of the key policy achievements of President Maithripala Sirisena’s 100 day programme. It was passed in Parliament on 28th April 2015 with 212 Members of Parliament voting in favour and with a reported 174 amendments being considered during the committee stage of the Bill (63 amendments by the Government and 111 by the Opposition). The final Amendment was only signed into law on 15th of May 2015. However, a month after its enactment, confusion still remains among a wide range of actors as to what is actually in the 19th Amendment.
In order to address these concerns, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has prepared this brief guide to explain the key changes made to the Constitution by the 19th Amendment. It is meant as an easy to use and simple source of information on the 19th Amendment and a useful tool to understand its impact on the Constitution.
Download the publication here.
Download the publication in Sinhala here.