Sri Lankan President Dissanayake meets Tamil and Muslim party alliance on constitutional reform

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met representatives of six Tamil and Muslim political parties at the Presidential Secretariat. The talks covered a broad agenda that included constitutional reform, the conduct of Provincial Council elections, and land and housing issues affecting the North, East and central highlands.

Party leaders such as M. A. Sumanthiran of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi urged a wide‑based social dialogue before any amendment, while the President reiterated the government’s stance that the executive presidency must be abolished and that a new people’s consensus is needed. Discussions also addressed the proposal to grant legal ownership of 10 perches of land to plantation workers, a measure supported by the Tamil Progressive Alliance, and practical challenges raised by the Ceylon Workers’ Congress regarding housing payments.

The President noted the appointment of a Delimitation Commission and the establishment of an authority to manage landslides, signalling ongoing efforts to address minority concerns through inclusive governance.