President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapksa had made the abolition of 19th amendment as the main election plank during the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The amendment brought by previous government had put a two-term limit on Presidency and curtailed the executive powers of President and transferred it to parliament and independent commissions.
The Rajapaksa family had alleged that the amendment was brought specifically to target the family. Mahinda Rajapaksa could not contest the last November Presidential elections because of term limit and his younger brother Gotabaya became the candidate.
The Rajapaksas secured a two-third majority in parliament during general elections held this month, thus paving way for constitutional amendments.