Parliament of Ceylon | |
|---|---|
| British Ceylon &Dominion of Ceylon | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | House of Representatives Senate |
| History | |
| Established | 1947 |
| Disbanded | 1972 |
| Preceded by | State Council of Ceylon |
| Succeeded by | National State Assembly |
| Elections | |
LastHouse of Representatives election | 1970 Ceylonese parliamentary election |
TheParliament of Ceylon was thelegislative body ofBritish Ceylon &Dominion of Ceylon (nowSri Lanka) established in 1947 by theSoulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948. Parliament replaced theState Council of Ceylon.
Parliament was based on theWestminster model with an upper house, theSenate, whose members were indirectly elected or appointed, and a lower house, theHouse of Representatives, whose members were directly elected or appointed. The House of Representatives consisted of 101 members, of whom 95 were elected and six appointed by theGovernor-General (increased to 157 in 1960, 151 elected and six appointed). The Senate consisted of 30 Members, of whom 15 were elected by the House of Representatives and 15 appointed by the Governor-General.
The Senate was abolished on 2 October 1971 by the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution. The new Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka, adopted on 22 May 1972, replaced the House of Representatives (and Parliament) with theunicameralNational State Assembly. The members elected in 1970, continued to hold their seats in the new National State Assembly. The ruling coalition decided early with its majority in parliament that the legislative term after adoption of the new constitution was extended by two years so that the National State Assembly had five years until 1977 when the first general elections under the new constitution were held.