Piyasena Gamgae to replace Geetha

Thursday, 9 November 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Skandha Gunasekara

Piyasena Gamage is expected to take oaths in Parliament in the coming days to fill the seat vacated by actress-turned politician and former MP Geetha Kumarasinghe.

UPFA General Secretary and Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mahinda Amaraweera, told the Daily FT that it had been decided by the UPFA that Piyasena Gamage, whose constituency is in the Galle District, would replace Kumarasinghe in Parliament.

“He should take oaths today or tomorrow,” the Minister said.

The Supreme Court (SC) last Thursday (2) upheld the ruling given by the Appeals Court in May to the effect that Kumarasinghe could not function as a Parliamentarian due to her being a dual citizenship.

In 2015, a petition was filed by four persons from the Galle District challenging Kumarasinghe’s seat in Parliament, as she had contested the last General Election while holding dual citizenship in both Sri Lanka and Switzerland.

The Appeals Court decreed that the Kumarasinghe could not be elected to Parliament as the Constitution stipulates that a candidate cannot contest a General Election while being a dual citizen.

However, the former actress then challenged the Appeals Court ruling by filing a special appeal with the Supreme Court, after which the Supreme Court suspended the decision given by the Appeal Courts to expel Kumarasinghe from her seat in Parliament until a verdict was given by the Supreme Court.