Party Leaders to meet in Parliament today

Monday, 7 January 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Dharisha Bastians

A party leaders’ meeting has been scheduled today, ahead of a hectic week in the legislature when Parliament resumes sessions for the New Year tomorrow.

The Divi Neguma bill is scheduled to be taken up for debate tomorrow and will likely be voted on with the Government using its two-thirds majority to pass the sections of the bill the Supreme Court has deemed inconsistent with the Constitution. Dates are also likely to be set for the debate on the resolution of impeachment against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake for later in the week.

The Government hopes to limit the debate on the impeachment to two days but the Opposition is planning to demand a longer debate given the seriousness of the issue and the Speaker’s earlier undertaking that the impeachment debate could go on for up to 10 days.

According to Government sources, the impeachment debate will take place on 10 and 11 January, with the Government hoping to remove Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake by 12 January and put an acting appointment in her place.

Meanwhile the People’s Movement for Democracy, led by the JVP is to hold anti-impeachment rally at 2 p.m. from Campbell Park. The rally is being held in protest of the Government attempting to move ahead with the impeachment despite the Supreme Court ruling that the process was illegal.