Minister Samarasinghe, President’s rep for CC

November 17, 2024

political Current Affairs

Minister Samarasinghe, President’s rep for CC

September 15, 2018

President Maithripala Sirisena has nominated Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe as the President’s representative to the Constitutional Council (CC), Parliament Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General Neil Iddawala said.He said the new appointment is effective immediately as Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka’s term of three years had ended on September 6. He said Minister Thilak Marapone was appointed to the CC as the Prime Minister’s representative some time back in place of Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe

Minister Rajapakshe resigned from the CC in December last year after he was removed from the Justice and Buddha Sasana ministerial portfolio.He said the term of JVP MP Vijitha Herath and UPFA MP John Seneviratne is also due to end in the next two months.“According to the Constitution, the same person cannot be re-appointed to the CC. Therefore new appointments are due shortly,” he pointed out.

The 10-member CC is the apex decision making body that recommends the appointments to the Independent Commissions and high ranking positions such as the Attorney General, Auditor General, Parliament Secretary General, IGP, Chief Justice and Supreme Court Judges etc.Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader R.Sampanthan will continue in the CC as ex-officio members. The CC is also comprised of three civil society representatives and their three-year term is due to end by September 22. Dr.A.T.Ariyaratne, Dr.Radhika Coomaraswamy and former Supreme Court Judge Shibly Aziz are the currently serving civil society members of the CC.