Sri Lanka





GOVERNMENT


Sri Lanka's two major political parties - the UNP and the SLFP - embrace democratic values, international non-alignment, and encouragement of Sinhalese culture. Past differences between the two on foreign and economic policy have narrowed. The SLFP, however, still has a stronger social-welfare orientation than the UNP and still envisions a broader role for the state in governance in general.

In the last general election, held August 15, 1994, Tamil parties, including the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), and the Eelam People's Democratic Front (EPDF), and a Muslim party, the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC), won key swing votes in the parliament.

Political assassinations have become commonplace and have included the bomb killing of President Premadasa on May 1, 1993. Other prominent national leaders and senior military personnel have been targets and/or victims of terrorist violence. In April 1994, four bombs exploded at Colombo hotels and a group calling itself the "Ellalan Force" has threatened to target foreigners. In October 1994, UNP presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake and 53 UNP supporters were killed during an October campaign rally by a terrorist bombing.

The People's Alliance government, which was elected in 1994, entered into preliminary peace negotiations with LTTE in mid-October, but a second round of talks was canceled after the assassination of opposition leader Gamini Dissanayake. In her November 1994 inaugural address, President Kumaratunga announced her intention to resume peace talks with the LTTE. President Kumaratunga also said her government would propose constitutional changes which would shift powers from the presidency to the office of the prime minister.

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, a court of appeals, a 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, inheritance are communal.

Under the Indo-Sri Lankan accord of July 1987, 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. Councils possess 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. Predating the accord are municipal, urban, and rural councils with limited powers.

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Ceylon


Data code: CE

Government type: republic

National capital: Colombo

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978

Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note—Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note—Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party—PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party—PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals

Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels



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