Sri Lankan Parliamentary Official Under Interdiction Takes Legislative Research to International Stage in Mexico
By: Isuru Parakrama
October 11, Colombo (LNW) Senior Attorney-at-Law Chaminda Kularatne, currently interdicted from his role as Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary-General of the Sri Lankan Parliament, has presented research on the country’s parliamentary system at an international academic gathering in Mexico, while his legal challenge against the interdiction remains before the Court of Appeal.
Kularatne attended the UNAM–IPSA RC08 International Workshop, titled Parliaments in the Global South: Challenges and Transformations, held in Mexico City on October 06 and 07, 2026.
He participated in his capacity as a doctoral researcher at the University of Colombo, following an invitation from the organisers.
His research paper, Executive Dominance and Legislative Constraints: The Transformation of Parliamentary Law-Making in Sri Lanka, was presented on 6 October during a session examining representation and executive power. The study explored the influence of the executive branch on legislative decision-making, the institutional barriers affecting Parliament’s independence and the importance of stronger accountability mechanisms in democratic governance.
The workshop was organised by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in partnership with Research Committee 08 of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). According to the organisers, the event attracted more than 100 participants representing 36 countries, creating an international forum for examining the challenges facing legislatures, particularly across the Global South.
Kularatne joined academics and parliamentary researchers from several countries, including Professor Irina Khmelko of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Professor Emma Crewe of SOAS University of London and Professor Khemvirg Puente Martínez of UNAM. Discussions addressed comparative parliamentary systems, legislative independence and the changing relationship between elected institutions and executive authority.
His participation also coincided with the granting of associate membership of IPSA, an international organisation dedicated to political science research and academic collaboration. The membership is expected to provide further opportunities for professional engagement with scholars working in the field.
An important part of his visit involved engagements with Mexico’s national legislature. On October 07, Kularatne visited the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Mexican Congress, accompanied by members of the international academic delegation.
During the visit, the delegation met parliamentary representatives and officials, including Alfonso Ramírez, a deputy leader in Congress, and Hugo Rosas, Chief Clerk. They were subsequently welcomed inside the parliamentary chamber during a sitting and formally acknowledged by the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
The programme also included discussions with representatives of both government and opposition parties. Exchanges covered parliamentary procedures, the administration of legislative institutions and approaches to democratic governance.
Kularatne described the formal welcome inside the chamber during an ongoing sitting as a particularly significant experience for a Sri Lankan visitor. The engagement, he said, offered an opportunity to develop professional relationships and encourage exchanges of knowledge between Sri Lanka and Mexico.
His legislative engagements continued on October 08 with a visit to the Mexican Senate, the upper chamber of Congress. There, he met Dr Arturo Garita, Secretary-General for Parliamentary Services, to discuss legislative administration, parliamentary processes and differences in institutional practices.
Kularatne brings more than two decades of legal experience as a Senior Attorney-at-Law, alongside extensive public-sector service. His career has included senior responsibilities within the Sri Lankan Parliament, the Sri Lanka High Commission in London, the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office and other government institutions, including work relating to parliamentary administration and diplomatic affairs.
His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Laws degree, a Master of Business Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management from the University of Colombo.
He is currently pursuing doctoral research at the University of Colombo into ways of strengthening parliamentary democracy through private members’ legislation in Sri Lanka, drawing comparative insights from the United Kingdom and India. His research is supervised by Professor Nishantha Sampath Punchihewa, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo, and Professor Sanath Wijesinghe of the Department of Legal Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Despite his international academic engagements, Kularatne remains embroiled in a legal dispute over his interdiction from his parliamentary post. He has filed a challenge before the Court of Appeal, arguing in his petition that the decision stemmed from a personal dispute with Speaker of Parliament Dr Jagath Wickramaratne. This allegation represents Kularatne’s position in the case and has not been established as a judicial finding.
The matter is scheduled to be taken up for support before the Court of Appeal on October 15, 2026. The outcome of the proceedings will determine the next stage of his legal challenge to the interdiction.
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