Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution · As enacted
19. Amendment of Article 104B of the Constitution
Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.
Official translationFrom Department of Government Printing, unchanged
Article 104B of the Constitution is hereby amended as follows:-
by the substitution, in sub-paragraph (i) of paragraph (4)(a) of that Article, for the words
“the election or any candidate of any political party”, of the words “the election of any candidate or any political party”;
by the insertion, immediately after paragraph (4)
of that Article, of the following paragraph:-
“(4a) For the avoidance of doubt it is stated that any guideline issued by the Commission during the period commencing on the date of the making of an Order for the holding of an election or the date of the making of a
Proclamation requiring the conduct of the
Referendum, as the case may be, shall –
be limited to matters which are directly connected with the holding of the respective election or the conduct of the respective Referendum, as the case may be; and
not be connected directly with any matter relating to the public service or any matter within the ambit of administration of the Public Service
Commission or the Judicial Service
Commission, as the case may be, appointed under the Constitution.”;
by the repeal of sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph (5) of that Article and substitution therefor of the following paragraph:-
“(b) It shall be the duty of any broadcasting or telecasting operator or any proprietor or publisher of a newspaper, as the case may be, to take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with any guidelines as are issued to them under paragraph (a).”.