Speaker to recommend 2 MPs to SL Parliamentary Council

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 September 2010, 03:13 GMT]
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is to recommend two names from among Tamil and Muslim parliamentarians for approval to Sri Lanka’s President as nominees to the Parliamentary Council as Prime Minister D. M. Jayaretna and the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to nominate as required by the 18th amendment within the stipulated seven day period, Acting Secretary General of Sri Lanka Parliament Neil Iddawela told media Wednesday.

The Speaker will send the names to Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday. The Speaker has no alternative other than using his discretion in this regard, he added.

Ranil Wickremasinghe had nominated the name of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M. A. Sumenthiran. But he declined to give his consent as his party had opposed the 18th amendment and voted against it in the parliament.

The Prime Minister also has failed to nominate a person to the council as required by the 18th amendment.