15th Parliament of Sri Lanka


The 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka, known officially as the 8th Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, was the meeting of the Parliament of Sri Lanka with its membership determined by the results of the 2015 parliamentary election, held on 17 August 2015. The parliament met for the first time on 1 September 2015 and was dissolved on 3 March 2020.

Election

The 15th parliamentary election was held on 17 August 2015. The incumbent United National Party -led United National Front for Good Governance won 106 seats, an increase of 46 since the 2010 election, but failed to secure a majority in Parliament. The main opposition alliance, the United People's Freedom Alliance won 95 seats, a decline of 49. The Tamil National Alliance, the largest party representing Sri Lankan Tamils, won 16 seats, an increase of two from 2010. The remaining eight seats were won by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Eelam People's Democratic Party.

Results

The new parliament was sworn in on 1 September 2015. Karu Jayasuriya was elected Speaker, Thilanga Sumathipala as the Deputy Speaker and Selvam Adaikalanathan as the Deputy Chairman of Committees. Lakshman Kiriella was appointed Leader of the House and Gayantha Karunathilaka was appointed Chief Government Whip.
The Speaker recognised TNA leader R. Sampanthan as Leader of the Opposition on 3 September 2015. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was nominated to be Chief Opposition Whip.
The Parliament became a Constitutional Assembly on 9 March 2016 in order to formulate a new constitution for Sri Lanka.
Thilanga Sumathipala resigned as Deputy Speaker on 25 May 2018. His replacement Ananda Kumarasiri was elected on 5 June 2018.
Following the withdrawal of the UPFA from the national government, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mahinda Amaraweera were recognised as Leader of the Opposition and Chief Opposition Whip respectively on 18 December 2018.

Government

On 20 August 2015, the central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent party of the UPFA, agreed to form a national government with the UNP for two years. Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the UNP, was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 August 2015. Immediately afterwards, a memorandum of understanding to work together in Parliament was signed by acting SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake and UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim. On 3 September, Parliament voted by 143 votes to 16 votes, with 63 absent, to approve the formation of a national government.
Three UNFGG cabinet ministers were sworn in on 24 August 2015. A further 39 cabinet ministers, 28 from the UNFGG and 11 from the UPFA, were sworn in on 4 September 2015. Three more cabinet ministers, one from the UNFGG and two from the UPFA, were sworn in on 9 September 2015. 19 state ministers and 21 deputy ministers were also sworn in on 9 September 2015. Two more deputy ministers, both from the UPFA, were sworn in on 10 September 2015. A further cabinet minister from the UPFA was sworn in on 23 October 2015. A further cabinet minister from the UNFGG was sworn in on 25 February 2016. A UPFA state minister and two deputy ministers were sworn in on 6 April 2016.

Constitutional crisis

The UPFA withdrew from the national government on 26 October 2018. President Maithripala Sirisena, leader of the UPFA, dismissed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The following day Sirisena prorogued Parliament. A constitutional crisis ensued as the UNP refused to accept the changes, describing them as unconstitutional, illegal and a coup. Over the next few days, Sirisena appointed a new cabinet consisting of MPs from the UPFA, EPDP and defections from the UNP. Despite the defections, the UPFA could not muster the support of a majority of MPs and with the TNA, which held the balance of power in Parliament, announcing that it would support a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Rajapaksa, Sirisena dissolved parliament on 9 November 2018 and called for fresh elections on 5 January 2019. The UNP, TNA, JVP and several others challenged the dissolution in the Supreme Court which on 13 November 2018 issued a stay on the dissolution until 7 December 2018.
Parliament re-convened on 14 November 2018 when 122 out of 225 MPs supported the motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Rajapaksa. Sirisena and the UPFA refused to accept the motion of no confidence, saying that Speaker Karu Jayasuriya had not followed parliamentary procedures. On 16 November 2018, parliament passed an amended motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Rajapaksa with the support of 122 MPs. Sirisena rejected the second the motion of no confidence as well, saying that he would not re-appoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
On 3 December 2018, following a quo warranto petition filed by 122 MPs, the Court of Appeal issued an interim order restraining Rajapaksa and 48 ministers from functioning. On 12 December 2018, 117 MPs, including 14 from the TNA, supported a motion of confidence in Wickremesinghe. A seven-bench Supreme Court unanimously ruled on 13 December 2018 that Sirisena's dissolution of parliament on 9 November 2018 was unconstitutional and null, void ab initio and without force or effect in law. The following day a three-bench Supreme Court refused to vacate the Court of Appeal's interim order but allowed for a full appeal to be heard in mid January 2019. Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister on 15 December 2018, and Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister the following day, ending the crisis.

Legislation

2015

Act No.#ActCertifiedText
9/20151Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act 201530 October
10/20152Finance Act 201530 October
11/20153Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act 201530 October
12/20154Nation Building Tax (Amendment) Act 201530 October
13/20155Economic Service Charge (Amendment) Act 201530 October
14/20156Betting & Gaming Levy (Amendment) Act 201530 October

2016

Act No.#ActCertifiedText
1/20167Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act 201617 February
2/20168Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Act 201617 February
3/20169National Minimum Wage of Workers Act 201623 March
4/201610Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act 201623 March
5/201611Prescription (Special Provisions) Act 201626 April
6/201612Microfinance Act 201620 May
7/201613Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Agreement (Ratification) Act 201630 May
8/201614Registration of Persons (Amendment) Act 20167 July
9/201615Mediation Board (Amendment) Act 201621 July
10/201616Homoeopathy Act 201627 July
11/201617National Research Council Act 201627 July
12/201618Right to Information Act 20164 August
13/201619Fiscal Management (Responsibility) (Amendment) Act 201623 August
14/201620Office on Missing Persons (Establishment, Administration & Discharge of Functions) Act 201623 August
15/201621Animal Feed (Amendment) Act 20167 September
16/201622Registration of Deaths (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Act 20167 September
17/201623Universities (Amendment) Act 20165 October
18/201624Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 201617 October
19/201625Law Commission (Amendment) Act 201617 October
20/201626Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act 20161 November
21/201627Ports & Airports Development Levy (Amendment) Act 20167 November
22/201628Nation Building Tax (Amendment) Act 20167 November
23/201629Appropriation (Amendment) Act 20167 November
24/201630Appropriation Act 201610 December

2017

Act No.#ActCertifiedText
1/201731Medical (Amendment) Act 201721 February
2/201732Divineguama (Amendment) Act 201721 February
3/201733Land (Restrictions on Alienation) (Amendment) Act 201722 February
4/201734Engineering Council, Sri Lanka Act 20179 March
5/201735Revocation of irrevocable Deeds of Gift on the ground of Gross Ingratitude Act 20174 April
6/201736National Transport Commission (Amendment) Act 20177 April
7/201737Economic Service Charge (Amendment) Act 201717 May
8/201738Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Act 20177 June
9/201739Office on Missing Persons (Establishment, Administration and Discharge of Functions) (Amendment) Act 20173 July
10/201740Registration of Electors Act 201721 July
11/201741Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Act 201725 July
12/201742Foreign Exchange Act 201728 July
13/201743Nation Building Tax (Amendment) Act 20179 August
14/201744Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority (Amendment) Act 201717 August
15/201745Ceylon German Technical Training Institute Act 201724 August
16/201746Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act 201731 August
17/201747Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act 201722 September
18/201748Motor Traffic (Amendment) Act 20173 October
19/201749Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Act 20173 October
20/201750Municipal Councils (Amendment) Act 201712 October
21/201751Urban Councils (Amendment) Act 201712 October
22/201752Pradeshiya Sabhas (Amendment) Act 201712 October
23/201753Regulation of Insurance Industry (Amendment) Act 201719 October
24/201754Inland Revenue Act 201724 October
25/201755Electronic Transactions Act (Amendment) Act 20172 November
26/201756Judicature (Amendment) Act 201717 November
27/201757Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses (Amendment) Act 201717 November
28/201758Local Authorities (Special Provisions) Act 201717 November
29/201759Prevention of Crimes (Amendment) Act 201718 November
30/201760Appropriation Act 20179 December
31/201761Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act 201714 December
32/201762Appropriation (Amendment) Act 201714 December

Composition

The following are the changes in party and alliance affiliations for the 15th parliament.
Light shading indicates majority ; dark shading indicates two-thirds majority ; no shading indicates minority government.
The 15th parliament saw a number of defections and counter-defections:
  • 3 September 2015 – 41 UPFA MPs and 1 SLMC MP support the formation of a national government.
  • 9 September 2015 – 3 UPFA MPs who had abstained from supporting the national government, are appointed deputy ministers.
  • 10 September 2015 – 2 UPFA MPs who had abstained from supporting the national government, are appointed deputy ministers.
  • 23 October 2015 – UPFA MP Sarath Amunugama is appointed to the cabinet.
  • 6 April 2016 – UPFA MP Lakshman Senewiratne is appointed a state minister.
  • 30 June 2016 – Democratic Party MP Sarath Fonseka joins the UNP.
  • 17 January 2017 – UNFGG MP Athuraliye Rathana Thero announces that he will function as an independent MP.
  • 19 September 2017 – UPFA MP Arundika Fernando crosses over to the opposition.
  • 30 October 2017 – UPFA MP Duleep Wijesekera crosses over to the opposition.
  • 10 December 2017 – MEP MP Sriyani Wijewickrama joins the SLFP.
  • 11 December 2017 – NFF MP Weerakumara Dissanayake joins the SLFP.
  • 28 December 2017 – UPFA MP Nimal Lanza joins the opposition.
  • 15 February 2018 – The Ceylon Workers' Congress pledges support for the president.
  • 8 May 2018 – 16 SLFP MPs, who had voted in favour of the unsuccessful motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on 4 April 2018, cross over to the opposition.
  • 26 October 2018
  • * UPFA withdraws from the national government.
  • * 3 UNFGG MPs pledge support for a new UPFA government.
  • 29 October 2018 – A new UPFA government including UNFGG MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and EPDP MP Douglas Devananda is sworn in.
  • 30 October 2018 – UNFGG MP Dunesh Gankanda joins the UPFA government.
  • 2 November 2018 – UNFGG MP S. B. Nawinne and TNA MP S. Viyalendiran join the UPFA government.
  • 4 November 2018 – UNFGG MP Ashoka Priyantha joins the UPFA government. Independent MP Athuraliye Rathana Thero pledges support for the UPFA government.
  • 6 November 2018 – UPFA MP Manusha Nanayakkara resigns from the UPFA government and joins the UNP.
  • 10 November 2018 – 2 SLFP MPs join the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
  • 11 November 2018 – 34 SLFP MPs and 1 UNP MP join the SLPP.
  • 14 November 2018 – 2 UPFA MPs cross over to the opposition. Wasantha Senanayake and Vadivel Suresh resign from the UPFA government and rejoin the UNFGG.
  • 18 December 2018 – 3 UPFA MPs cross over to the UNFGG government.

Members

Deaths and resignations

The 15th parliament saw the following deaths, resignations and disqualifications: