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An Overview Of The Government Of Sri Lanka

The government of Sri Lanka is led by the president of the country who is the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The presidential system is determined by the Sri Lankan constitution which was originally promulgated on September 7th, 1978, by the National State Assembly. The current constitution of Sri Lanka is the third constitution since the country got independence in 1948 and the second republican constitution. Since April 2015 the Sri Lankan constitution has been amended 19 times. The government of Sri Lanka comprises of the legislative, executive, and judicial systems.

The Executive Branch Of Sri Lanka

The president of Sri Lanka who is directly elected to serve a five year team in office is responsible to the parliament of Sri Lanka for exercising certain duties as described under the country's constitution. The president can be removed from office following a two-thirds vote of no-confidence by the parliament with the mutual affirmation of the Supreme Court. The elected president who is the head of cabinet is also responsible for appointing cabinet ministers, who are responsible to Parliament. The deputy to the President in Sri Lanka is the prime minister who is also the leader of the ruling party in Parliament. The President is responsible for dissolving the current cabinet and appointing a new one in the event that a parliamentary no confident vote is passed. The president of Sri Lanka is elected through contingent vote.

The Legistive Branch Of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Parliament consists of 225 members who are elected to serve a term of six years, 196 of whom are elected in multiple seat constituents comprising of 22 electoral districts and the remaining 29 members who are elected in proportion to their share of the national vote. The president has the power to suspend, summon, end a legislative session and dissolve Parliament at any time if it has served for one year. The parliament of Sri Lanka possesses the power to make all laws. In the event that one of the political parties gains the highest number of valid votes in each constituency, it stands to hold a unique bonus seat in Parliament.

The Judiciary Of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan judiciary consists of the court and legal systems that are responsible for application and interpretation of laws in the country. The Sri Lankan courts are officiated by proficient judges, and judges of the Supreme Court who are nominated by the Parliamentary Council or the Judicial Service Commission and appointed by the President. The Sri Lankan legal system is an amalgamation of Customary Law, English common law, and Roman-Dutch civil law.

Elections In Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government compromising of the president and legislature are elected on a national level, and the elections are held after every six years. The President of Sri Lanka is elected by the people to serve a term of five years. Members of Parliament are directly elected, however, vacant seats that occur during the serving period of a Parliament goes to the nominees from the party that holds the seat.

Of the 225 members of Parliament, 196 are elected in multiple seat constituencies from the 22 electoral districts through a system of proportional representation. The remaining 29 are then appointed by the secretary of each party in proportion to the number of votes the party obtained.

The Sri Lanka has a multi party system where two dominant parties including the New Demonstrate Front (NDF) and the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).