Three TNA lawmakers to give up dual citizenship

Three lawmakers, representing the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), will soon give up their foreign citizenship to contest the next parliamentary polls, a senior party official said. That decision had been taken after UPFA Galle District MP Geetha Kumarasinghe lost her parliamentary seat in early Nov. 2017 for being a dual citizen, the official said. The Supreme Court upheld Court of Appeal ruling against the former actress.The TNA official said that the three MPs would relinquish their foreign citizenship early next year. The next parliamentary polls are scheduled for 2020.

In terms of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in late April, 2015 dual citizens cannot contest parliamentary and presidential elections or function as MPs in the current Parliament.