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In a measure seen as clipping President Chandrika Kumaratunga's wings, the Sri Lankan government on Friday said it would seek to amend the constitution to remove the president's power to dissolve parliament without the prime minister's consent.
The government needs a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution.
Outlining the steps contemplated by the government to usher in a new political culture of consensus in the country, cabinet spokesman and Constitutional Affairs Minister G L Peiris rejected a suggestion that the move would antagonize the president in the midst of a peace process with the LTTE.
A summary of the proposed 18th constitutional amendment released by Peiris said Article 70, which allows the president to dissolve parliament one year after the general election, would be amended to enable dissolution only with the prime minister's consent or that of a majority of legislators.
So long as the government enjoys the confidence of the majority of members of parliament, dissolution will not be possible, Peiris said.
This, he argued, was in line with international democratic practices.
Can the Queen in Britain or the President of India dissolve the respective legislatures without a recommendation from the prime minister or when the government enjoys majority support? Peiris asked.
The present United National Front government, headed by Kumaratunga's political rival Ranil Wickremesinghe, is apprehensive that the president may dissolve parliament any time after December five, as it was on that day last year that the general elections were held.
She had exercised this power last year when her Peoples Alliance regime was reduced to a minority in parliament after a spate of defections.
The proposed amendment will also abolish the concept of Special Presidential Commissions, as these inquiry panels are often accused of functioning as vehicles for settling political scores.
Crucially, the amendment also proposes to introduce the idea of a conscience vote, a key provision that the present government feels will earn it support across party lines for measures to implement its peace initiatives.
Legalizing cross-voting (at present, violation of a party whip entails loss of membership) may help the government get extra votes from the opposition when a possible agreement with the LTTE is to be implemented.
A section of the opposition PA is believed to be supportive of peace efforts, initiated by the ruling UNP that the party does not officially endorse.
It is this section that the government hopes to draw its support from for the proposed amendment.
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