GOVERNMENT
Under the 1978 constitution, the president of the republic, directly elected for a 6-year term, is chief of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the armed forces. Responsible to Parliament for the exercise of duties under the constitution and laws, the president may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of Parliament with the concurrence of the Supreme Court.
The president
appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers responsible to Parliament.
The president's deputy is the prime minister, who leads the ruling
party in Parliament. A parliamentary no-confidence vote requires
dissolution of the cabinet and the appointment of a new one by
the president.
Parliament
is a unicameral 225-member legislature elected by universal suffrage
and proportional representation to a 6-year term. The president
may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve
Parliament. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws.
Sri Lanka's
judiciary consists of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court,
and a number of subordinate courts. Sri Lanka's legal system reflects
diverse cultural influences. Criminal law is fundamentally British.
Basic civil law is Roman-Dutch. Laws pertaining to marriage, divorce,
and inheritance are communal.
Under the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of July 1987 and the 13th amendment to the constitution, the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to devolve significant authority to the provinces. Provincial Councils are directly elected for 5-year terms. The leader of the council majority serves as the province's chief minister; a provincial governor is appointed by the president. The councils possess limited powers in education, health, rural development, social services, agriculture, security, and local taxation. Many of these powers are shared or subject to central government oversight. As a result, the Provincial Councils have never functioned effectively. Devolution proposals under consideration as a means of finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict foresee a strengthening of the Provincial Councils, with greater autonomy from central control. Predating the accord are municipal, urban, and rural councils with limited powers.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Sri Lanka's two major political parties--the UNP and the SLFP--embrace democratic values, international nonalignment, and encouragement of Sinhalese culture. Past differences between the two on foreign and economic policy have narrowed. The SLFP, however, envisions a broader role for the state in general.
Sri Lanka has a multi-party democracy that enjoys considerable stability despite
relatively high levels of political violence. LTTE violence is largely confined
to the Northern and Eastern provinces, which are 6 to 8 hours by road from the
capital. After a lull following the 2002 ceasefire, LTTE-perpetrated terrorist
bombings directed against politicians and civilian targets have become more
common in Colombo, Kandy, and elsewhere in the country. LTTE terrorist
activities have generally been aimed at destabilizing Sri Lanka politically,
economically, and socially. LTTE attacks on key political figures include the
attempted assassinations of Social Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda in
November 2007 and of Secretary of Defense Gothabaya Rajapaksa in December 2006,
the assassination of Army General Kulatunga in June 2006, the attempted
assassination of Army Commander General Fonseka in April 2006, the assassination
of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005, the killing of the
Industrial Development Minister by suicide bombing in June 2000, and the
December 1999 attempted assassination of President Kumaratunga. The LTTE is also
suspected of being behind the assassinations of two government ministers in
early 2008. Economic targets included the airport in July 2001, the Colombo
World Trade Center in October 1997, and the central bank in January 1996. In
January 1998, the LTTE detonated a truck bomb in Kandy, damaging the Temple of
the Tooth relic, the holiest Buddhist shrine in the country.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister--Ratnasiri Wickramanayake
Ambassador to the United States--Bernard Goonetilleke
Ambassador to the United Nations--Prasad Kariyawasam
Sri
Lanka maintains an embassy
in the United States at 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008 (tel. 202-4834025).
Type: Republic.
Independence: February 4, 1948.
Constitution: August 31, 1978.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Branches: Executive--president, chief of state and head of government, elected for a 6-year term. Legislative--unicameral 225-member Parliament. Judicial--Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, subordinate courts.
Administrative subdivisions: Nine provinces and 25 administrative districts.
Political parties: Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, National Freedom Front, Jathika Hela Urumaya, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Tamil National Alliance, United National Party, Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, several small Tamil and Muslim parties, and others.
