The Lawyers’ Collective has issued a special statement warning about the implications of the draft 22nd amendment to the constitution. If passed with a two-thirds majority in parliament, it would empower the president to instruct the Election Commission to hold a referendum within 30 days.
The collective warns that this could result in Sri Lanka bearing the financial burden of two national elections, creating confusion. They emphasize that holding a referendum is a costly process, running into billions of rupees.
The statement highlights the government’s previous claims of insufficient funds for local government elections, suggesting there is no urgency to address term limits for Parliament or the President at this time.
The Lawyers’ Collective argues that the proposed amendment would further complicate the electoral system and reminds us that a parliamentary election should follow a presidential election.
They condemn the draft amendment as an attempt to distort the electoral process and call on all democratic forces to oppose it. The announcement has been jointly issued by over ten President’s lawyers and a group of other legal professionals.
