The Parliamentary Council is a constitutional authority in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 established under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka

Constitution of Sri Lanka

The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...

. Formally being constituted on January 1, 2011 as per the 18th Amendment, it replaces the Constitutional Council that was established under the 17th Amendment.

Powers and tasks

Compared to the ten member Constitutional Council, which made approval of names of nominees to the independent committees/commissions mandatory; the Parliamentary Council has powers only to recommend persons to the independent committees. The sole authority of appointing members of the independent committees is vested with the President of Sri Lanka

President of Sri Lanka

The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...

 and while he is needed to seek the observations of the council, its decisions are not binding.

Commissions

The Council recommends members to several independent committees/commissions. These are;

• Public Service Commission
• Human Rights Commission
• Elections Commission
• National Police Commission
• Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption
• Finance Commission
• Delimitation Commission.

Membership

The membership of the Parliamentary Council is made up of five members, of whom three are ex-officio members and two would be nominated to ensure ethnic representation. The Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and the Speaker are compulsory members of the committee. The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader can nominate one person each to the committee from the communities to which the compulsory members do not belong.

Ex-officio Members

• Hon. D. M. Jayaratne
  D. M. Jayaratne
  Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne MP is the 20th and current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and a veteran Sri Lankan politician. A founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Jayaratne was first elected to parliament in 1970. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on April 21, 2010.-Early life:D. M...
  
   - Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
  Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
  The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is the functional head of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. However, the President is both head of state and head of government in Sri Lanka...
  
  
• Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa
  Chamal Rajapaksa
  Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and former Cabinet Minister of Ports, Aviation, Irrigation and Water Management. He hails from a well known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A...
  
   - Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
  Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
  In Sri Lanka the Speaker of the Parliament is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The Speaker fulfills a number of important functions in relation to the operation the House, which is based upon the British Westminster Parliamentary system.The...
  
  
• Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe - Leader of the Opposition
  Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
  The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament...
  
  

Nominated Members

• Hon. D. M. Swaminathan
  D. M. Swaminathan
  Deva Manoharan Swaminathan, MP is a Sri Lankan Lawyer and Politician. Current Member of Parliament, he was the former Governor of the Western Province and Chairman of the National Savings Bank....
  
   - Member of Parliament
• Hon. A.H.M. Azwer
  A.H.M. Azwer
  A.H.M. Azwer is a Sri Lankan politician, and a National List member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.-References:*...
  
   - Member of Parliament

Secretary to the Parliamentary Council

• Dhammika Kitulgoda
  Dhammika Kitulgoda
  Dhammika Kitulgoda is a Sri Lankan civil servant and judge. He is the Secretary General of Parliament , Secretary to the Constitutional Council and former District Judge...
  
   - Secretary General of Parliament

Location

The Council sits at the Sri Lankan Parliament Building

Sri Lankan Parliament Building

The Sri Lankan Parliament Complex is a public building and landmark that houses the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Situated in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the administrative capital...

 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.