Politics of Sri Lanka

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Politics of Sri Lanka" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Politics of Sri Lanka
National Emblem of Sri Lanka
Polity type	Unitary multi-party semi-presidential representative democratic republic
Constitution	Constitution of Sri Lanka
Legislative branch
Name	Parliament
Type	Unicameral
Meeting place	Sri Lanka Parliament
Presiding officer	Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
Executive branch
Head of state
Title	President
Currently	Anura Kumara Dissanayaka
Appointer	Direct election
Head of government
Title	Prime Minister
Currently	Harini Amarasuriya
Appointer	President
Cabinet
Name	Cabinet of Sri Lanka
Current cabinet	Dissanayake cabinet
Leader	President
Appointer	President
Ministries	29
Judicial branch
Name	Judiciary
Supreme Court
Chief judge	Jayantha Jayasuriya

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Sri Lanka
Constitution Amendments Law Human rights Taxation Previous Constitutions: 1931 1947 1972
Executive President of Sri Lanka (10th) Anura Kumara Dissanayake Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (16th) Harini Amarasuriya Cabinet Cabinet Ministers Ministers Ministries
Legislature Parliament of Sri Lanka (16th) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa Deputy Chairman of Committees Angajan Ramanathan Leader of the House Susil Premajayantha Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella Secretary General Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera Constitutional Council COPE
Judiciary Supreme Court of Sri Lanka Chief Justice Murdu Nirupa Fernando (Acting) Puisne Justices P. Padman Surasena S. Thurairaja Gamini Amarasekera Yasantha Kodagoda A. H. M. D.Nawaz Kumuduni Wickremasinghe A. L. Shiran Gooneratne Janak De Silva Achala Wengappuli Mahinda Samayawardhena Arjuna Obeyesekere K. Priyantha Fernando Court of Appeal High Court District Court Magistrate's Court Primary Court Labour Tribunal Judicial Service Commission Bar Association Law enforcement Ministry of Justice Cabinet Minister Harini Amarasuriya Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena
Elections Election Commission Chairman R. M. A. L. Rathnayake Members M. A. P. C. Perera Ameer Faaiz Anusuya Shanmuganathan Lakshman Dissanayake Elections Presidential 2015 2019 2024 Parliamentary 2015 2020 2024 Provincial council 2013 2014 (Mar) 2014 (Sep) Local government 2018 2019 2024 Referendum 1982 Electoral districts Polling divisions Political parties
Administrative divisions Provinces Central Eastern North Central Northern North Western Sabaragamuwa Southern Uva Western Districts Ampara Anuradhapura Badulla Batticaloa Colombo Galle Gampaha Hambantota Jaffna Kalutara Kandy Kegalle Kilinochchi Kurunegala Mannar Matale Matara Monaragala Mullaitivu Nuwara Eliya Polonnaruwa Puttalam Ratnapura Trincomalee Vavuniya District Secretariats Divisional Secretariats Grama Niladhari divisions Cities Towns Capital city
Devolution 13th Amendment Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Provincial Councils Provincial Governors Provincial Chief Ministers Provincial Councillors Local government Municipal Councils Urban Councils Pradeshiya Sabhas Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government Cabinet Minister Harini Amarasuriya Secretary to the Ministry S. Alokabandara
Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe Senior Deputy Governor K. M. A. N. Daulagala Currency Banknotes Economy Ministry of Finance Cabinet Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayaka Secretary to the Ministry K. M. Mahinda Siriwardana
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath Secretary to the Ministry Aruni Wijewardane Diplomatic missions of / in Sri Lanka Heads of missions of Sri Lanka Passports Visa requirements Visa policy
Related topics Sri Lanka History Flag Emblem Anthem Military
Sri Lanka portal Politics portal Other countries
v t e

Part of the Politics series
Elections
Basic types By-election Corporate Direct / Indirect Fixed-term General Local Mid-term Plurality Primary Partisan Nonpartisan Proportional Recall Snap Sortition Two-round system
Terminology Anonymous elector Apportionment Audits Competition Boundary delimitation Crossover voting Electoral college Election law Election silence Gerrymandering Initiative Psephology Secret ballot Suffrage Right to stand for election
Subseries Administration Political party Voting Electoral systems
Lists Elections by country Close elections Most recent Next general elections National and local elections in 2024
Related Election security Electoral fraud Referendum (by country) Electoral reform Election science Paper candidate
Politics portal
v t e

Sri Lanka is a unitary multi-party semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Starting from the early 1950s, the two main parties of Sri Lanka were the social democratic Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the liberal conservative United National Party for several decades. Recently, however, the influence of the two parties has diminished significantly; currently, the two main parties are the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, both of which split from one of the two previous parties, respectively. Other notable parties include the Tamil National Alliance, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Sri Lanka a "flawed democracy" in 2022.^{[1][needs update]}

The president, directly elected for a five-year term, is the head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The election occurs under the Sri Lankan form of the contingent vote. 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.

The Parliament has 225 members, elected for a five-year term: 196 members elected in multi-seat constituencies and 29 by proportional representation.

The primary modification is that the party that receives the largest number of valid votes in each constituency gains a unique "bonus seat" (see Hickman, 1999). The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and can dissolve Parliament at any time once a year has passed since the last general elections (except in a few limited circumstances). The President can also dissolve Parliament before the completion of one year, if requested to do so by a resolution signed by at least half the MPs. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws. Since its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

In August 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that presidential elections would be held in November 2005, resolving a long-running dispute on the length of President Kumaratunga's term. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was nominated the SLFP candidate and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the UNP candidate. The election was held on 17 November 2005, and Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected the 5th Executive President of Sri Lanka winning 50.3% of valid votes, compared to Ranil Wickremesinghe's 48.4%. Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as president on 19 November 2005. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed the 22nd Prime Minister on 21 November 2005, to fill the post vacated by Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was previously Prime Minister from 2000 until 2001.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa lost the 2015 presidential elections, ending his ten-year presidency. However, his successor, President Maithripala Sirisena, decided not to seek re-election in 2019.^[2] This enabled the Rajapaksa family to regain power in the 2019 presidential elections. Mahinda Rajapaksa's younger brother and former wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the election, and was sworn in as the 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka.^[3][4] The Rajapaksa's firm grip of power consolidated in the parliamentary elections held in August 2020. The family's political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (known by its initials SLPP) won a landslide victory and a clear majority in the parliament, and five members of the Rajapaksa family won a seat in the parliament. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa became the new prime minister.^[5]

On 23 September 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president after winning the presidential election as a left-wing candidate.^[6]

Summary of the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election^[11][12][13]

Alliances and parties		Votes	%	Seats
				District	National	Total
	Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance[v] Ceylon Workers' Congress Mahajana Eksath Peramuna National Congress[i] National Freedom Front Pivithuru Hela Urumaya Socialist Alliance Communist Party of Sri Lanka Democratic Left Front[ii] Lanka Sama Samaja Party[iii] National Liberation People's Party Sri Lanka People's Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party[iv] Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	6,853,690	59.09%	128	17	145
	Samagi Jana Balawegaya All Ceylon Makkal Congress[vi] Jathika Hela Urumaya Sri Lanka Muslim Congress[vii] Tamil Progressive Alliance National Union of Workers United Progressive Alliance Democratic People's Front Up-Country People's Front United National Party (Sajith wing)	2,771,980	23.90%	47	7	54
	Tamil National Alliance[viii] Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization	327,168	2.82%	9	1	10
	National People's Power Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna	445,958	3.84%	2	1	3
	Tamil National People's Front[ix] All Ceylon Tamil Congress	67,766	0.58%	1	1	2
	Eelam People's Democratic Party	61,464	0.53%	2	0	2
	United National Party (Ranil wing)	249,435	2.15%	0	1	1
	Our Power of People's Party Bodu Bala Sena	67,758	0.58%	0	1	1
	Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal	67,692	0.58%	1	0	1
	Sri Lanka Freedom Party[iv]	66,579	0.57%	1	0	1
	Muslim National Alliance	55,981	0.48%	1	0	1
	Tamil People's National Alliance Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Eelam Tamil Self Rule Party Tamil National Party Tamil People's Council	51,301	0.44%	1	0	1
	All Ceylon Makkal Congress[vi]	43,319	0.37%	1	0	1
	National Congress[i]	39,272	0.34%	1	0	1
	Sri Lanka Muslim Congress[vii]	34,428	0.30%	1	0	1
	Independents	223,622	1.93%	0	0	0
	United Peace Alliance	31,054	0.27%	0	0	0
	All Lanka Tamil Mahasabha	30,031	0.26%	0	0	0
	National Development Front	14,686	0.13%	0	0	0
	Frontline Socialist Party	14,522	0.13%	0	0	0
	Social Democratic Party of Tamils	11,464	0.10%	0	0	0
	Tamil United Liberation Front	9,855	0.08%	0	0	0
	Socialist Party of Sri Lanka	9,368	0.08%	0	0	0
	People's Welfare Front	7,361	0.06%	0	0	0
	Sinhalese National Front	5,056	0.04%	0	0	0
	New Democratic Front	4,883	0.04%	0	0	0
	United Left Front	4,879	0.04%	0	0	0
	Liberal Party of Sri Lanka	4,345	0.04%	0	0	0
	National People's Party	3,813	0.03%	0	0	0
	Democratic United National Front	3,611	0.03%	0	0	0
	National Democratic Front	3,488	0.03%	0	0	0
	Sri Lanka Labour Party	3,134	0.03%	0	0	0
	Democratic Left Front	2,964	0.03%	0	0	0
	New Sinhala Heritage	1,397	0.01%	0	0	0
	United Socialist Party	1,189	0.01%	0	0	0
	Motherland People's Party	1,087	0.01%	0	0	0
	Eelavar Democratic Front	1,035	0.01%	0	0	0
	Socialist Equality Party	780	0.01%	0	0	0
	Lanka Sama Samaja Party[iii]	737	0.01%	0	0	0
	All Are Citizens All Are Kings Organization	632	0.01%	0	0	0
	Democratic Unity Alliance	145	0.00%	0	0	0
Valid Votes		11,598,929	100.00%	196	29	225
Rejected Votes		744,373	6.03%
Total Polled		12,343,302	75.89%
Registered Electors		16,263,885
Footnotes: ^ a b The NC contested separately in two districts (Ampara and Polonnaruwa) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ The DLF contested separately in two districts (Jaffna and Vanni) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ a b The LSSP contested separately in one district (Jaffna) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ a b The SLFP contested separately in three districts (Jaffna, Kalutara and Nuwara Eliya) and with the SLPFA in other districts. ^ The SLPFA contested under the name and symbol of SLPP. ^ a b The ACMC contested separately in one district (Ampara) and with the SJB in other districts. ^ a b The SLMC contested separately in one district (Batticaloa) and with the SJB in other districts. ^ The TNA contested under the name and symbol of ITAK. ^ The TNPF contested under the name and symbol of ACTC.

The local government is divided into two parallel structures, the civil service, which dates back to colonial times, and the provincial councils, established in 1987.

The country is divided into 25 districts, each of which has a district secretary (the government agent or GA) who is appointed. Each district has 5–16 divisions, each with a divisional secretary who is also appointed. At a village level, Grama Niladari (Village Officers), Samurdhi Niladari (Development Officers) and agriculture extension officers all work for their respective divisional secretaries.

Under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed in 1987 and the subsequent 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to devolve some authority to the provinces. Provincial councils are directly elected for five-year terms. The leader of the council majority serves as the province's Chief Minister with a board of ministers; a provincial governor is appointed by the president.

The Provincial Councils have full statute making power with respect to the Provincial Council List, and shared statute making power respect to the Concurrent List. While all matters set out in the Reserved List are under the central government.

Despite the existence of the 13th amendment, provincial council elections have not been held since 2014.

Below the provincial level are elected Municipal Councils and Urban Councils, responsible for municipalities and cities respectively, and below this level Pradeshiya Sabhas (village councils), again elected. There are 24 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 276 Pradeshiya Sabhas.

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 is reflective of the country's diverse cultural influences. Criminal law is fundamentally British. Basic civil law is Roman-Dutch, but laws pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance are communal, known as respectively as Kandyan, Thesavalamai (Jaffna Tamil) and Muslim (Roman-Dutch law applies to Low-country Sinhalese, Estate Tamils and others).

Courts of law

• Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
• Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka
• High Court of Sri Lanka
• District Courts
• Magistrate's Courts
• Primary Courts

Sri Lanka generally follows a non-aligned foreign policy but has been seeking closer relations with the United States since 1977. It participates in multilateral diplomacy, particularly at the United Nations, where it seeks to promote sovereignty, independence, and development in the developing world. Sri Lanka was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It also is a member of the Commonwealth, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, and the Colombo Plan. Sri Lanka continues its active participation in the NAM, while also stressing the importance it places on regionalism by playing a strong role in SAARC.

Sri Lanka is member of the IAEA, IBRD, ADB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, and WTrO.

The growing interest of other countries in making their claims to Sri Lanka's strategic assets has been generating heated discussion both within national and international circles. China, India and Japan's involvement in Sri Lankan seaport developments is a direct consequence of the ongoing tussle among the three nations to establish a firm foothold in the strategically located island state.^[14]

Civil society participation in decision-making and opinion-shaping in Sri Lanka is very poor. Professionals, civil society groups, and media rarely play significant roles in Sri Lankan politics, and as a result many aspects of the lives of ordinary citizens are politicized. In addition, the vacuum created by the silence and inactivity of civil society has led to radical groups such as ethnic/religious-based groups, trade unions and NGOs assuming lead roles as political pressure groups.

• List of rulers of Ceylon
• List of presidents of Sri Lanka
• List of prime ministers of Sri Lanka
• Leftist parties in Sri Lanka

• Robert C. Oberst. "Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka", Publius, Vol. 18, No. 3, The State of American Federalism, 1987 (Summer, 1988), pp. 175–193

• Office of the Governor – Uva / ඌව පලාත් ආණ්ඩුකාරවර කාර්යාලය

Wikiversity has learning resources about Beneath the Sandy Beaches: A Tale of Disarray