22A in place of the new Constitution promised - Opinion | Daily Mirror

Daily Mirror LK · 🇱🇰 public Sri Lanka · Aug 20, 2026 · 1101 words · By MOHAMED AYUB

Political accountability Government Transparency Constitutional Reform

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What to know about Political accountability

Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunge, Mahinda Rajapakse and Maithripala Sirisena (left to right) all promised new constitutions but failed to deliver The controversy surrounding the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution has eclipsed almost every political issue in…

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

They do not seem to be interested in it as if it does not affect their lives.

Common ground

However, it is the main issue and the only issue for those obsessed with politics, and they are making a huge fuss over it.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Tu Quoque (You Too): language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political accountability story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that She also attempted to bring in a “federal” mode of government, as a Constitutional amendment before that, in 1995 and 1996?
How does this story connect Political accountability with Government Transparency over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/22A-in-place-of-the-new-Constitution-promised…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Tu Quoque (You Too) 90% confidence

Dismissing criticism by pointing out the accuser does the same thing.

Why it matters: Recognizing tu quoque (you too) helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “She also attempted to bring in a “federal” mode of government, as a Constitutional amendment before that, in 1995 and 1996.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding federal mode attempts in 1995 and 1996.

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Claim 2: “Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said on Monday that the government has to do many things that were not promised by the NPP before the last elections, citing the salary increase for the public sector, as an example.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results (Daily Mirror and another source) explicitly state that Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara admitted the government is doing things not promised by the NPP, specifically citing public sector salary increases.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Sinhala: වාසුදේව නානායක්කාර; Tamil: வாசுதேவ நாணயக்கார) (born 3 January 1939) is a Sri Lankan left-wing politician, Member of Parliament and presidential candidate in the 1982 and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasudeva_Nanayakkara

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harini Nireka Amarasuriya (born 6 March 1970) is a Sri Lankan sociologist, academic, activist, and politician serving as the prime minister of Sri Lanka since 2024. Having spent a decade as an academi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harini_Amarasuriya

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harshana Nanayakkara (born 16 January 1972) is a Sri Lankan former film actor, lawyer, and politician currently serving as the Minister of Justice and National Integration of the Government of Sri Lan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harshana_Nanayakkara

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The Maithri-Ranil government... instituted a Constitutional Assembly for that end only in January 2016, after adopting the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in April 2015.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “the Cabinet granted approval to the justice minister to gazette and present to the Parliament the draft titled ‘Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill’ on the same day (August 18) the government presented the 22nd Amendment in the Parliament.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant Google Classroom login pages and general Wikipedia entries about the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister. There is no specific evidence confirming the August 18 date or the simultaneous presentation of the 22nd Amendment.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, also known as Aragalaya (Sinhala: අරගලය, lit. 'The Struggle'), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Sri_Lankan_protests

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for supporting the Cabinet of Sri Lanka in its policy formulation process. The department was formed in 1947 when the firs…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_Office_(Sri_Lanka)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, officially the Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the Government of Sri L…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Sri_Lanka

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Chandrika Kumaratunga... broke the 17-year-long rule by the United National Party (UNP) in 1994, first by winning the Parliament election and then by winning the Presidential election”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and a news report, confirm that Chandrika Kumaratunga won both the parliamentary and presidential elections in 1994, ending 17 years of UNP rule.

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web search NEUTRAL — Chandrika won the presidential election in 1994 gaining 62.28% of the vote.Kumaratunga coordinated with opposition leaders in both the Maldives and Sri Lanka, bridging trust between the disputing oppo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrika_Kumaratunga

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web search NEUTRAL — The next attempt at peace negotiations was made in October 1994 after Chandrika Kumaratunga won both the parliamentary and presidential elections, ending the 17-year rule by the UNP.
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/090524/News/sundaytimesnews_28.ht…

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web search NEUTRAL — Complicating her efforts to find a political solution to Sri Lanka's 17-year-old civil war, President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling coalition managed only a narrow victory in the October 2000 parliam…
https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/freehou/2001…

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Claim 6: “Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara stated that initial steps of Constitution making would be taken in January, 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “he amended the existing Constitution (the first Republican Constitution of 1972) to that effect in October 1977 – within three months of his government assuming office.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from Daily FT and Daily Mirror confirm that the executive presidency was introduced via an amendment to the 1972 constitution around October 1977 by J.R. Jayewardene.

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web search NEUTRAL — President J. R. Jayewardene, who was nearing the end of his second term, initially hinted at seeking a third term by amending the constitution ahead of the 1988 Presidential Election.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Parliament_of_Sri_Lanka

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web search NEUTRAL — And almost all those governments since 1977 either introduced or attempted to introduce piecemeal amendments before their promises were kept or broken. The first leader to do so was President J.R. Jay…
https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/22A-in-place-of-the-new-C…

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web search NEUTRAL — The executive presidency was first brought in as the second amendment to the 1972 constitution which was passed around October 1977. The then Prime Minister J.R. Jayewardene was sworn in as the first …
https://www.ft.lk/Opinion-and-Issues/mr-speaks-out-on-abolis…

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Claim 8: “Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament in April, 2025 that the process of drafting a new Constitution would be initiated after the provincial council elections.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “President J.R. Jayewardene who replaced the first Republican Constitution of 1972 with the second Republican Constitution of 1978.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms J.R. Jayewardene was the Prime Minister and later President who introduced the executive presidency, replacing the previous constitutional framework with the 1978 Constitution.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Junius Richard Jayewardene (Sinhala: ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන; Tamil: ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), also known by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, who served as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._Jayewardene

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the chief executive of Sri Lanka. The president is a dominant political figure in the country. The office was created in 1972, as more of a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_Sri_Lank…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Gopallawa (Sinhala: විලියම් ගොපල්ලව, Tamil: வில்லியம் கோப்பல்லாவ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the last Governor-General of Cey…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gopallawa

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Mahinda Rajapaksa... used that power to strengthen the executive Presidency... through the 18th Amendment.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “the government is sneaking in another controversial piece of legislation, ‘Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA), to repeal and replace the long-standing and widely criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the Sri Lankan government has released a draft of the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) intended to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sexual violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka has occurred repeatedly during the country's long ethnic conflict. The first instances of rape of Tamil women by Sinhalese mobs occurred during the 1958 ant…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_violence_against_Tamils…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sri Lankan civil war was fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, it was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_civil_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sri Lankan passports are travel documents issued to citizens of Sri Lanka for the purpose of international travel. The Department of Immigration and Emigration is responsible for issuing Sri Lanka…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_passport

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “the 22A was not in the manifesto or any other agenda of the National People’s Power (NPP) before the last Presidential or Parliamentary election.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While there is evidence of a '22nd Amendment Controversy' and opposition protests, there is no independent confirmation in the provided evidence that the 22nd Amendment was specifically absent from the NPP manifesto. The evidence mentions the NPP won the 2024 elections but doesn't verify the contents of the manifesto regarding this specific amendment.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National People's Power (NPP), known in Sinhala as the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB), is a left-wing political alliance in Sri Lanka. It is the current ruling party of Sri Lanka, having won the 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People's_Power

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with nine other articles of the United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution addresses issues related to presidential succession and disability. It clarifies that the vice president becomes president …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Amendment_to_the_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “during the “Parivasa” (probational) government with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the latter compelled her to adopt the 17th Amendment”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the 'Parivasa' government or the JVP compelling the 17th Amendment.

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Claim 14: “Health and Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told media in December, 2024 that a new Constitution would be presented in three years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “she... presented a relatively very progressive new draft Constitution in Parliament in 2000.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that President Kumaratunga presented a draft constitution to Parliament in 2000, noting the opposition's noisy reaction during the presentation.

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web search NEUTRAL — She served as the vice president of the SLMP. This resulted in her falling out with her mother and brother who were leading the SLFP at the time. On 16 February 1988, Vijaya Kumaratunga was assassinat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrika_Kumaratunga

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web search NEUTRAL — They said President Kumaratunga cannot make her voice heard in a speech to present the draft constitution as opposition United National Party (UNP) members of Parliament shouted and made lots of noise…
http://en.people.cn/english/200008/03/print20000803_47197.ht…

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web search NEUTRAL — Kumaratunga can circumvent this requirement by turning the present Parliament into a Constituent Assembly, where constitutional changes can be brought about by a simple majority. But that too will nee…
https://frontline.thehindu.com/world-affairs/article30251301…

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Claim 16: “she stated in Parliament on July 25 last year that initial steps for a new Constitution are being taken.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 17: “in October, 2020, his government passed the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, reversing most of the democratic and check-and-balance reforms introduced by the 19th Amendment”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “In September 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a nine-member expert committee chaired by President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva to draft a new constitution.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.