The new constitution would be prepared during the first six months of 2016 and a public referendum held said the government's chief whip, minister Lakshman Kiriella.
"We as a government had reduced the powers of the executive as we pledged and we had set up independent commissions too. To reduce the powers of the executive further and to further strengthen the democracy we need a new Constitution and that should be approved in a referendum," Mr Kiriella told journalists on Wednesday, reported Ceylon Today.
The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a committee public opinion regarding the constitution. Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) held talks this week towards ensuring that Tamil and Muslim aspirations were included in the new constitution.