He therefore proposed a referendum to extend the life of parliament, with its constituents unchanged, thereby permitting the United National Party to maintain its supermajority.

President Jayawardene claimed that he needed the existing parliament to complete work on the programs he had begun, hence the referendum to extend its term.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party, led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike, won a five-year term in the 1970 parliamentary elections, obtaining over the two-thirds supermajority in Parliament required pass constitutional amendments.

Bandaranaike proceeded to change the Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972, and in the process unilaterally extended the life of parliament by two years to 1977.

By 1982, as a result of a number of by-elections, the UNP had picked up a net of two seats for a total of 142, well above the two-thirds majority required to pass constitutional changes.

[5][6] Jayawardene admitted to the media that the SLFP could win at least 60 seats in elections to the expanded parliament, a possibility he termed disastrous to the country.

[5][6] In order to maintain the parliamentary supermajority of the UNP, Jayawardene decided to extend the life of parliament without holding direct elections.

In order to do this, the government was required to obtain support from over two-thirds of parliament, and Jaywardene also decided to have the extension approved by the people in a national referendum.

Senanayake told the house that he had no moral right to oppose the amendment as he had previously supported the extension of parliament by two years in 1975.

Appapillai Amirthalingam, leader of the main opposition Tamil United Liberation Front told parliament that his party would oppose the bill, but all members of the TULF abstained from voting.

The only votes against the bill were cast by Lakshman Jayakody, Anura Bandaranaike and Ananda Dassanayake of the SLFP and Sarath Muttetuwegama, a member of the Communist Party.

[4] Following the approval of the bill by parliament, President Jayawardene issued a gazette notification on November 14, 1982, requesting Chandrananada de Silva, the Commissioner of Elections, to hold a nationwide referendum on 22 December 1982.

[5] He also warned that holding parliamentary election would give increased power to people he termed "Naxalites", a band of Communist extremists who preach violent revolution.