32 member National Council announced

Leaders of the political parties representing the Ninth Parliament have proposed the names of their party representatives to the newly formed National Council.

However, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, National People’s Power, and the Dullas Alahapperuma faction did not nominate members to the National Council.

Addressing the Parliament today, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced the names of those appointed to serve the National Council.

The Speaker will Chair the National Council, while the Prime Minister, Leader of the House of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the Chief Government Whip, and other Members of Parliament have been appointed to the Council.

The resolution proposed by the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to constitute the Parliamentary Committee called ‘National Council’ was passed in Parliament yesterday.

One of them is the determine the general priorities of Parliament to guide the formulation of short,medium, and long-term national policies, the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said.

Another responsibility is to agree on short-term and medium-term common minimum programs related to economic stabilization.

It is also tasked with organizing special meetings with the Ministers of the Cabinet, the National Council, the Chairperson of Special Committees and Youth Observers of Youth Organizations. The ‘National Council’ also has the power to summon reports from the Sectoral Oversight Committees, the Committee on Public Finance, the Committee on Public Accounts, the Committee on Public Enterprises and any committee that controls the public finance.

The members of the National Council are: