Sri Lankan President Decides to Postpone Referendum on New ConstitutionSri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga decided Tuesday to postpone a referendum on a new constitution scheduled on August 21 to October after serious consideration of views from all walks of life.The Presidential Secretariat said in a statement that Kumaratunga made the decision because there is consensus emerging among the people that there should be constitutional reforms and political parties including the opposition have agreed to support the government to introduce amendments to the constitution. The statement said that the president believes that continuing with the scheduled referendum might exacerbate confrontation at various levels which are under heated debate over the issue. However, Kumaratunga warned that she would proceed to hold the referendum rescheduled on October 18 if political parties fail to reach agreement on amending the present constitution. On July 10 Kumaratunga suspended the parliament for two months and called for a new constitution due on August 21, a move to forestall the most probable passage of a no-confidence motion against the government tabled by the main opposition United National Party to the parliament in June. The opposition parties had challenged Kumaratunga to hold the referendum on August 21 while some cabinet ministers also hold different opinions over the referendum which asks the country whether a new constitution is needed. In recent days Kumaratunga has engaged in heated discussions with leaders of various political parties over the referendum but apparently failed to win their support. Referendum on New Constitution PostponedSri Lanka postponed Tuesday the referendum on a new constitution scheduled on August 21 to October amid mounting opposition from both the opposition parties and within the government, officials said.President Chandrika Kumaratunga set October 18 as the new date for the referendum, they said. The opposition parties had challenged Kumaratunga to hold the referendum on August 21 while some cabinet ministers also hold different opinions over the referendum which asks the country whether a new constitution is needed. In recent days Kumaratunga has engaged in heated discussions with leaders of various political parties over the referendum but apparently failed to win their support. Last month Kumaratunga suspended the parliament for two months and called for a new constitution due on August 21, a move to forestall the most probable passage of a non-confidence motion against the government tabled by the main opposition United National Party to the parliament in June. |
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