There's No Urgency For Constitutional Changes, Say Lawyers' Collective

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Lawyer's Collective warned that if the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill, approved by the Cabinet, is passed in Parliament by a two thirds majority, the President must direct the Election Commission to hold a Referendum, which must be held within thirty days. 

It added that, thus, the country will be burdened with two parallel national elections, one happening soon after another, creating chaos. 

The Lawyer's Collective in a statement said that the referendum will cost several billion Rupees, while the Government says there is no money for local government elections. 

The Lawyers' Collective emphasised that there is no urgency whatsoever in lowering the upper limit of the terms of the President and Parliament. 

It added that the proposed amendment could well be an attempt to scuttle the electoral process by unnecessarily complicating matters. 
"Parliamentary elections will indeed follow the Presidential election. There has been a robust discussion on the necessity for constitutional changes relating to the abolition of the Presidential form of government, electoral system, power-sharing, fundamental rights, and judiciary, to name just a few," it added. 

The Lawyers' Collective denounces the proposed Bill as an attempt to manipulate the electoral process and calls upon all democratic forces to oppose it.