Mass protest in Sri Lanka backing key constitutional reforms

A prominent Buddhist monk led a protest march in Sri Lanka on Monday demanding key constitutional reforms be adopted by the island nation's parliament.

Over 2,000 people took part in the march and walked up to parliament where legislators were meeting to debate the 19th amendment to the constitution.

The Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero who was instrumental in obtaining the support of several political parties for President Maithripala Sirisena when he contested the Jan. 8 Presidential Elections, said that the people who voted for him had wanted the reforms to be implemented.

One of the key proposals of the 19th amendment is to reduce the powers of the president and transfer them to parliament.

"We need to ensure that the executive presidential system is removed through the 19th amendment," the monk said at the protest rally.

Sri Lankan parliamentarians began two days of debate on the 19th amendment amidst several disagreements between the government and the opposition on some clauses of the proposals.

However Thero said that he had eventually received an assurance from the president that both the opposition and the government have reached an agreement and will ensure the reforms proposals are made law.

The Sri Lankan government needs a two third majority in parliament for the proposals to be implemented and a vote on the proposal will be taken on Tuesday. Endi