Senate of Ceylon
| Senate | |
|---|---|
| Dominion of Ceylon | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1947 |
| Disbanded | 2 October 1971 |
| Preceded by | State Council of Ceylon |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Seats | 30 |
| Meeting place | |
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|
| The old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort that used to house the Senate. Today it is known as the Republic Building and houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | |
The Senate was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time on 12 November 1947. The Senate was abolished on 2 October 1971 by the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution, prior to the adoption of the new Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka on 22 May 1972. In 2010 there were proposals to reintroduce the Senate.
With the recommendations of the Soulbury Commission, the Senate of Ceylon was established in 1947 as the upper house of Parliament of Ceylon. The Senate was modelled on the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. It was a thirty-member Senate where the members where appointed rather than elected. One of its fundamental aims was to act as a revising chamber by scrutinizing or amending bills, which had been passed by the House of Representatives. This was intended to act as a stopgap barrier to prevent the government in power trying to rush through important legislations without giving adequate time to consider such legislations.
The leftist parties of Ceylon and other republicans considered the Senate, with half its members being appointed by the British monarch's representative - the Governor General, to be one of the last vestiges of colonial rule. The Senate had also been dominated by the United National Party since its creation. Soon after United Front, an alliance consisting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, main opposition party, and the leftist parties came to power at the May 1970 election it brought in a parliamentary bill to abolish the Senate. The bill's second reading was passed by the House of Representatives on 21 May 1971. The Senate met for the last time on 28 September 1971. The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Amendment Act, No. 36 of 1971 received Royal Assent on 2 October 1971, becoming the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution. The Senate was abolished in 1971 after nearly 24 years of existence. A unicameral parliamentary system was introduced with the adaptation of the Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972.
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