If President Ranil Wickremesinghe seeks another two-year term extension through a referendum, a group of Parliamentarians has set a condition that their term should also be extended by two years accordingly, political sources have revealed to Mawbima Sunday Newspaper .
These sources say that if the President makes such an agreement, the majority of MPs will raise their hands for a referendum to extend the term of office of the President.
Political sources pointed out that in particular, there are a large number of new MPs in Parliament and their tenure should be extended for a few more years to avoid losing their pension.
According to the opinion of the vast majority around the President, it is appropriate to go for a referendum and they argue that it is preferable to stabilize the country in two years and then go for a national election.
High-ranking people of the government have asked their opinion from legal experts whether it is possible to hold a referendum at this moment as then-President JR did in 1982 to extend the time of the Parliament, It is also learned that legal experts have been consulted over the possible legal obstacle to be raised.
According to the sources two exclusive discussions have been held at the Election Steering Committee of the President’s Office and the Water’s Edge Hotel in Battaramulla, especially regarding a referendum poll.
Also, there are nearly thirty Muslim and Tamil MPs in the Parliament and the majority of them have not explained their opinion regarding a referendum properly, so there is an uncertain environment as to whether they will have or lose their consent to a referendum. Political analysts point out that this will be affected by the fact that many bills passed in the parliament amid the absence of those MPs in many cases.
However, the opposition thinks that if a law is brought to postpone an election, it should be passed by two-thirds of the parliament and a referendum, and if it is necessary to extend the time of the parliament and the time of the president, the government should make a law that is against the constitution.
