Politics of Sri Lanka: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|none}}

{{Politics of Sri Lanka}}

{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}}<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->

{{Update|date=November 2024}}

{{Infobox political system

The '''Politics of Sri Lanka''' reflect the historical and political differences between the two main ethnic groups, the majority [[Sinhala]] and the minority [[Tamil_people|Tamil]]s, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island.

| name = Politics of Sri Lanka

| image = Emblem of Sri Lanka.svg

| image_size = 90

| caption = [[Emblem of Sri Lanka|National Emblem of Sri Lanka]]

| type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Multi-party system|multi-party]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[Representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[republic]]

| constitution = [[Constitution of Sri Lanka]]

| legislature = [[Parliament of Sri Lanka|Parliament]]

| legislature_type = [[Unicameralism|Unicameral]]

| legislature_place = [[Sri Lankan Parliament Building|Sri Lanka Parliament]]

| lowerhouse_speaker = [[Jagath Wickramaratne]]

| lowerhouse_speaker_title = [[Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka]]

| lowerhouse_appointer =

| title_hos = [[President of Sri Lanka|President]]

| current_hos = [[Anura Kumara Dissanayake]]

| appointer_hos = Direct election

| title_hog = [[Prime Minister of Sri Lanka|Prime Minister]]

| current_hog = [[Harini Amarasuriya]]

| appointer_hog = President

| cabinet = [[Cabinet of Sri Lanka]]

| current_cabinet = [[Second Dissanayake cabinet|Dissanayake cabinet]]

| cabinet_leader = President

| cabinet_deputyleader =

| cabinet_appointer = President

| cabinet_hq =

| cabinet_ministries = [[List of ministries of Sri Lanka|29]]

| judiciary = [[Judiciary of Sri Lanka|Judiciary]]

| judiciary_head = [[N.V Ramana]]

| courts =

| court = [[Supreme Court of Sri Lanka|Supreme Court]]

| chief_judge = [[Murdu Fernando]]

}}{{Politics of Sri Lanka}}{{Elections}}

[[Sri Lanka]] is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Multi-party system|multi-party]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[Representative democracy|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 of Sri Lanka|Prime Minister]] and the [[Cabinet of Sri Lanka|Cabinet of Ministers]]. [[Legislative power]] is vested in the [[Parliament of Sri Lanka|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 conservatism|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. [[List of political parties in Sri Lanka|Other notable parties]] include the [[Tamil National Alliance]], the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] and the [[Sri Lanka Muslim Congress]].

==Histories==

At independence in [[1948]], [[Sri Lanka]], then called Ceylon, was a [[Commonwealth realm]], with the [[British monarch]] represented by the [[Governor General of Ceylon|Governor General]]. The [[Parliament]] was [[bicameral]], consisting of a [[Senate]] and a [[House of Representatives]]. In [[1971]], the Senate was abolished, and the following year, Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka, and became a [[republic]] within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], with the last Governor General becoming the first [[President of Sri Lanka]]. Under the first republican [[Constitution]], the [[unicameral]] legislature was known as the National State Assembly.

{{Democracy Index rating|Sri Lanka|flawed democracy|2022}}

In [[1978]], a new Constitution was adopted, which provided for an executive President, and the legislature was renamed Parliament.

== Executive branch ==

==Government==

{{office-table}}

|[[President of Sri Lanka|President]]

|[[Anura Kumara Dissanayake]]

|[[National People's Power]]

|23 September 2024

|-

|[[Prime Minister of Sri Lanka|Prime Minister]]

|[[Harini Amarasuriya]]

|[[National People's Power]]

|24 September 2024

|}

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 contingent vote|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 Sri Lanka|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 President, directly elected for a six-year term, is [[head of state]], [[head of government]], and [[commander in chief]] of the armed forces. The election occurs under the [[Sri Lankan Supplementary Vote|Sri Lankan form of the Supplementary 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.

== Legislative branch ==

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 of Sri Lanka|Parliament]] has 225 members, elected for a five-year term: 196 members elected in multi-seat [[constituency|constituencies]] and 29 by [[proportional representation]].

ParliamentThe primary modification is athat unicameralthe 225-memberparty legislaturethat electedreceives bythe [[universallargest suffrage]]number andof [[proportionalvalid representation]]votes toin each constituency gains a 6-yearunique "bonus seat" (''see'' Hickman, term1999). 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.

== Political parties and elections ==

[[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.

{{elect|List of political parties in Sri Lanka|Elections in Sri Lanka}}

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 [[Sri Lanka Freedom Party|SLFP]] candidate and former Prime Minister [[Ranil Wickremesinghe]] as the [[United National Party|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 Sri Lankan presidential election|2015 presidential elections]], ending his ten-year presidency. However, his successor, President [[Maithripala Sirisena]], decided not to seek re-election in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Maithripala Sirisena to not contest Sri Lanka polls |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/6/president-maithripala-sirisena-to-not-contest-sri-lanka-polls |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> This enabled the Rajapaksa family to regain power in the [[2019 Sri Lankan presidential election|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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/03/05/sri-lankas-ruling-party-calls-an-election-hoping-for-a-landslide|title = Sri Lanka's ruling party calls an election, hoping for a landslide|newspaper = The Economist|date = 5 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/world/asia/sri-lanka-Gotabaya-Rajapaksa-election.html|title = Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wins Sri Lanka Presidential Election|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 17 November 2019|last1 = Bastians|first1 = Dharisha|last2 = Schultz|first2 = Kai}}</ref> The Rajapaksa's firm grip of power consolidated in the [[2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/9/mahinda-rajapaksa-sworn-in-as-sri-lankas-pm-after-record-victory|title = Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka's PM}}</ref>

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

===Civil Service Structure===

The country is divided into 25 districts, each of which has a district secretary (the GA, or Government Agent) who is appointed. Each district comprises 5-16 divisions, each with a DS, or divisional secretary, again, appointed. At a village level Grama Niladari (Village Officers), Samurdhi Niladari (Development Officers) and agriculture extension officers work for the DSs.

On 23 September 2024, [[Anura Kumara Dissanayake]] was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president after winning the presidential [[2024 Sri Lankan presidential election|election]] as a left-wing candidate.<ref>{{cite news |title=Anura Kumara Dissanayake sworn in as Sri Lanka's president |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxr03x4dvzo |work=www.bbc.com}}</ref> On 14 November 2024, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's [[National People's Power]] (NPP), a left-leaning alliance, received a two-thirds majority in parliament in Sri Lankan [[2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|parliamentary election.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Sri Lanka: Left-leaning leader's coalition secures landslide victory |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crr9n2w0lyzo |work=www.bbc.com}}</ref>

===Provincial Council Structure===

Under the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of July 1987--and the resulting 13th amendment to the constitution--the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to devolve some authority to the provinces. Provincial councils (between 7 and 8, depending on whether one counts the LTTE areas as under government control) are directly elected for 6-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. Predating the accord are municipal, urban, and rural councils with limited powers.

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

=== 2024 presidential election ===

==Political conditions==

{{#section-h:2024 Sri Lankan presidential election|Results}}

Sri Lanka's two major political parties -- the [[United National Party]] and the [[Sri Lanka Freedom Party]] -- embrace democratic values, international nonalignment, and encouragement of Sinhalese culture. Past differences between the two on foreign and economic policy have narrowed. Generally, the SLFP envisions a broader role for the state, and the UNP a broader role for capitalism.

=== 2024 parliamentary election ===

Sri Lanka has a multi-party democracy that enjoys surprising stability given the high levels of political violence, especially that which occured under the UNP regime of 1977-1993. During the [[Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka|civil war]] the LTTE has targeted politicians (Sinhalese and Tamil), economic targets, and Buddhist religious sites. Recent elections have seen decreasing election violence between the SLFP and the UNP, compared to the period 1977-1994. Elections have been cleaner, without the rampant impersonation and vote-rigging which characterised the 1982 Presidential Election, the notorious Referendum of the same year, the Presidential Election of 1988 and the General Election of 1989.

=== National ===

{{transcluded section|source=2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election}}

{{#section:2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|2024 Parliamentary election national summary}}

== Administrative divisions ==

The president dissolved the parliament in Feb 2004 after a two year term (though the parliament was elected for a 6 year term.) The election was held on 2nd April 2004. The SLFP in alliance with the JVP secured the most number of seats by a single party but failed to achieve a majority. As a result they lost the very first vote in parliament; that of appointment of the speaker. As a result the parliament did not pass a single bill from February to May.

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.

=== Civil Service structure ===

==Growth of Leftist Parties==

The country is divided into 25 [[Districts of Sri Lanka|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.

=== Provincial Council structure ===

During the Donoughmore period of political experimentation, several leftist parties were formed. Unlike most other Sri Lankan parties, these leftist parties were noncommunal in membership. Working-class activism, especially trade unionism, became an important political factor during the sustained economic slump between the world wars. The first important leftist party was the Labour Party, founded in 1931 by [[A.E. Goonesinha]], but this had drifted into communalist strike-breaking action by 1937. Three Marxist oriented parties--the Ceylon Equal Society Party ([[Lanka Sama Samaja Party]]--LSSP), the Bolshevik-Leninist Party, and the [[Communist Party of Sri Lanka]] (CPSL)--represented the Left proper. They grew out of the Youth League movement, the struggle to get funds for Sri Lankan ex-servicemen, volunteer work during the [[Malaria]] [[Epidemic]] and the anti-colonial struggle of the 1930s, which culminated in the call for full independence (eschewed by [[D.S Senanayake]] and others of the [[elite]]). All three were divided on both ideological and personal grounds. The Soviet Union's expulsion of [[Leon Trotsky]] from the Communist Party after Lenin's death in 1924 and Stalin's subsequent decision to enter World War II on the Allied side exacerbated these differences, dividing the Communists into [[Trotskyists]] and [[Stalinists]].

Under the [[Indo-Sri Lanka Accord]] signed in 1987 and the subsequent [[13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka|13th Amendment to the Constitution]], the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to devolve some authority to the [[Provinces of Sri Lanka|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.

The LSSP, formed in 1935 and the oldest of the Sri Lankan Marxist parties, indeed of all existing Sri Lankan parties, took a stance independent of the Soviet Union, becoming affiliated with the Trotskyist [[Fourth International]], which was a rival of the [[Comintern]]. Its two representatives in the [[State Council]], [[Philip Gunawardena]] and Dr [[N.M. Perera]], were a thorn in the side of the British colonial administration. Most LSSP leaders were arrested during World War II for their opposition to what they considered to be an "[[imperialist]] war." However, they managed to escape and the LSSP's underground work continued throughout the war. The party's propaganda was a vital element in the mutiny of the [[Ceylon Garrison Artillery]] on the [[Cocos Islands]] in 1942. It was the main opposition party after the general elections of 1936, 1947 and 1956, the second largest party in Parliament after the general elections of 1947, 1956 and 1970.

Despite the existence of the 13th amendment, provincial council elections have not been held since [[March 2014 Sri Lankan provincial council elections|2014]].

Although in more recent years, the LSSP has been considered a politically spent force, gaining, for example less than 1 percent of the vote in the 1982 presidential elections, it has nevertheless been touted as the world's only successful Trotskyist party. This was because it participated in Government and because it has played a role far larger than its electoral success would suggest, having been ideologically hegemonic in the period 1936-1977. The 1972 Republican Constitution was drafted by Dr [[Colvin R de Silva]], an LSSP Minister and the country's leading lawyer.

=== Local government structure ===

The CPSL, which began as a Stalinist faction of the LSSP that was later expelled, formed its own party in 1943, remaining faithful to the dictates of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Bolshevik-Leninist Party was formed in 1945 as another breakaway group of the LSSP, which reunited with its parent in 1950.

{{Main|Local government in Sri Lanka}}

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 [[Municipal councils of Sri Lanka|24 Municipal Councils]], [[Urban councils of Sri Lanka|41 Urban Councils]] and [[Pradeshiya Sabha|276 Pradeshiya Sabhas]].

== Judicial branch ==

The leftist parties represented the numerically small urban working class and the larger rural working class concentrated in the plantations and mines. Partly because these parties operated through the medium of trade unionism, they lacked the wider mass appeal needed at the national level to provide an effective extra-parliamentary challenge to the central government. Nonetheless, because the leftists occasionally formed temporary political coalitions before national elections, they posed more than just a mere "parliamentary nuisance factor." In 1953 it was the left who summoned the '[[Hartal]]' of 1953 which led to the resignation of the Prime minister, Dudley Senanayake.

[[Judiciary of Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka's judiciary]] consists of a [[Supreme Court of Sri Lanka|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'' ([[Sri Lankan Tamils|Jaffna Tamil]]) and Muslim (Roman-Dutch law applies to Low-country [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]], [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Estate Tamils]] and others).

; Courts of law

Many of the LSSP and CP members gathered in their famous Trade Union the [[GCSU_Sri_Lanka|Government Clerical Service Union (GCSU)]] one of the oldest Trade Unions in Sri Lanka.

* [[Supreme Court of Sri Lanka]]

* [[Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka]]

* High Court of Sri Lanka

* District Courts

* Magistrate's Courts

* Primary Courts

== Foreign relations of Sri Lanka ==

==1971 Uprising==

{{Main|Foreign relations of Sri Lanka}}

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 of Nations|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.

The leftist Sinhalese [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] drew worldwide attention when it launched an insurrection against the Bandaranaike government in [[1971_Uprising|April 1971]]. Although the insurgents were young, poorly armed, and inadequately trained, they succeeded in seizing and holding major areas in Southern and Central provinces before they were defeated by the security forces. Their attempt to seize power created a major crisis for the government and forced a fundamental reassessment of the nation's security needs.

Between 1967 and 1970, the group expanded rapidly, gaining control of the student socialist movement at a number of major university campuses and winning recruits and sympathizers within the armed forces. Some of these latter supporters actually provided sketches of police stations, airports, and military facilities that were important to the initial success of the revolt. In order to draw the newer members more tightly into the organization and to prepare them for a coming confrontation, Wijeweera opened "education camps" in several remote areas along the south and southwestern coasts. These camps provided training in Marxism-Leninism and in basic military skills.

While developing secret cells and regional commands, Wijeweera's group also began to take a more public role during the elections of 1970. His cadres campaigned openly for the United Front of Sirimavo R. D. Bandaranaike, but at the same time they distributed posters and pamphlets promising violent rebellion if Bandaranaike did not address the interests of the proletariat. In a manifesto issued during this period, the group used the name Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna for the first time. Because of the subversive tone of these publications, the United National Party government had Wijeweera detained during the elections, but the victorious Bandaranaike ordered his release in July 1970. In the politically tolerant atmosphere of the next few months, as the new government attempted to win over a wide variety of unorthodox leftist groups, the JVP intensified both the public campaign and the private preparations for a revolt. Although their group was relatively small, the members hoped to immobilize the government by selective kidnapping and sudden, simultaneous strikes against the security forces throughout the island. Some of the necessary weapons had been bought with funds supplied by the members. For the most part, however, they relied on raids against police stations and army camps to secure weapons, and they manufactured their own bombs.

The discovery of several JVP bomb factories gave the government its first evidence that the group's public threats were to be taken seriously. In March 1971, after an accidental explosion in one of these factories, the police found fifty-eight bombs in a hut in Nelundeniya, Kegalla District. Shortly afterward, Wijeweera was arrested and sent to Jaffna Prison, where he remained throughout the revolt. In response to his arrest and the growing pressure of police investigations, other JVP leaders decided to act immediately, and they agreed to begin the uprising at 11:00 P.M. on April 5.

The planning for the countrywide insurrection was hasty and poorly coordinated; some of the district leaders were not informed until the morning of the uprising. After one premature attack, security forces throughout the island were put on alert and a number of JVP leaders went into hiding without bothering to inform their subordinates of the changed circumstances. In spite of this confusion, rebel groups armed with shotguns, bombs, and Molotov cocktails launched simultaneous attacks against seventy- four police stations around the island and cut power to major urban areas. The attacks were most successful in the south. By April 10, the rebels had taken control of Matara District and the city of Ambalangoda in Galle District and came close to capturing the remaining areas of Southern Province.

The new government was ill prepared for the crisis that confronted it. Although there had been some warning that an attack was imminent, Bandaranaike was caught off guard by the scale of the uprising and was forced to call on India to provide basic security functions. Indian frigates patrolled the coast and Indian troops guarded Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayaka while Indian Air Force helicopters assisted the counteroffensive. Sri Lanka's all-volunteer army had no combat experience since World War II and no training in counterinsurgency warfare. Although the police were able to defend some areas unassisted, in many places the government deployed personnel from all three services in a ground force capacity. Royal Ceylon Air Force helicopters delivered relief supplies to beleaguered police stations while combined service patrols drove the insurgents out of urban areas and into the countryside.

After two weeks of fighting, the government regained control of all but a few remote areas. In both human and political terms, the cost of the victory was high: an estimated 15,000 insurgents- -many of them in their teens--died in the conflict, and the army was widely perceived to have used excessive force. In order to win over an alienated population and to prevent a prolonged conflict, Bandaranaike offered amnesties in May and June 1971, and only the top leaders were actually imprisoned. Wijeweera, who was already in detention at the time of the uprising, was given a twenty-year sentence and the JVP was proscribed.

== Brief details ==

{{CIA}}

'''Country name:'''

<br>''conventional long form:''

Sri Lanka Prajatantrika Samajavadi Janarajaya, Illankai Chananaayaka Chosalisa Kudiyarasu (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)

<br>''conventional short form:''

Sri Lanka

<br>''former:''

[[Ceylon]]

'''Data code:'''

CE

'''Government type:'''

[[Republic|Republic]]

'''Capital:'''

[[Sri Jayewardanapura Kotte]]

'''Administrative divisions:'''

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

'''Independence:'''

[[4 February]], [[1948]] (from [[United Kingdom|UK]])

'''National holiday:'''

Independence and National Day, 4 February [[1948]]

'''Republic:'''

22 May 1972

'''Constitution:'''

adopted 16 August 1978

'''Legal system:'''

a highly complex mixture of English [[common law]], Roman-Dutch, [[Muslim]], Sinhalese, and ([[Tamil people|Tamil]])customary law; has not accepted compulsory [[ICJ]] jurisdiction

'''Suffrage:'''

18 years of age; universal

'''Executive branch:'''

<br>''chief of state:''

President [[Chandrika Kumaratunga|Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga]] (since [[November 12]], [[1994]])

<br>''head of government:''

President [[Mahinda Rajapakse]] (since November 18, 2005); note - [[Ratnasiri Wickremanayake]] is the [[Prime Minister of Sri Lanka|prime minister]]; in Sri Lanka the president is both the chief of state and the head of the government, whereas in most governments the roles are given respectively to the president and prime minister when both offices exist. Yet [[Ranil Wickremesinghe]] when he was prime minister(2001 - 2003) acted much like a head of government for his first two years in power.

<br>''cabinet:''

Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

<br>''elections:''

president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held [[November 17]], [[2005]] (next to be held before November 2011)

<br>''election results:''

Mahinda Rajapakse reelected president; percent of vote - Mahinda Rajapakse (UPFA) 50%, Ranil Wickremasinghe (UNP) 48%, other 2%

'''Legislative branch:'''

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)

<br>''elections:''

last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)

==Political parties and elections==

{{elect|List of political parties in Sri Lanka|Elections in Sri Lanka}}

{{election-table}}|Summary of the 2005 presidential election results

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|Votes

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%

|-

|[[Mahinda Rajapakse]] - [[United People's Freedom Alliance]]

|align="center" |4,887,152

|align="right" |50.29

|-

|[[Ranil Wickremesinghe]] - [[United National Party]]

|align="center" |4,706,366

|align="right" |48.43

|-

|[[Siritunga Jayasuriya]] - [[United Socialist Party (Sri Lanka)|United Socialist Party]]

|align="center" |35,425

|align="right" |0.36

|-

|[[Achala Ashoka Suraweera]] - [[Jathika Sangwardhena Peramuna]]

|align="center" |31,238

|align="right" |0.32

|-

|[[Victor Hettigoda]] - [[Eksath Lanka Podujana Pakshaya]]

|align="center" |14,458

|align="right" |0.15

|-

|[[Chamil Jayaneththi]] - [[New Left Front]]

|align="center" |9,296

|align="right" |0.10

|-

|[[Aruna de Soyza]] - [[Ruhunu Janatha Party]]

|align="center" |7,685

|align="right" |0.08

|-

|[[Wimal Geeganage]] - [[Sri Lanka National Front]]

|align="center" |6,639

|align="right" |0.07

|-

|[[Anura de Silva]] - [[United Lalith Front]]

|align="center" |6,357

|align="right" |0.07

|-

|[[Ajith Kumara Jayaweera Arachchige]] - [[Democratic Unity Alliance]]

|align="center" |5,082

|align="right" |0.05

|-

|[[Wije Dias]] - [[Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)|Socialist Equality Party]]

|align="center" |3,500

|align="right" |0.04

|-

|[[Nelson Perera]] - [[Sri Lanka Progressive Front]]

|align="center" |2,525

|align="right" |0.03

|-

|[[Hewaheenipallage Shantha Dharmadwaja]] - [[United National Alternative Front]]

|align="center" |1,316

|align="right" |0.01

|-

|style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''Total'''

|width="75" align="center" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|'''9,717,039'''

|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|&nbsp;

|-

|Registered Voters

|13,327,160

|colspan=2 rowspan=4"|

|-

|Total Votes cast

|9,826,778

|-

|Invalid Votes

|109,739

|-

|Valid Votes cast

|9,717,039

|}

{{election-table}}|Summary of the 2 April 2004 legislative election results

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes'''

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%'''

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Change'''

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats'''

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Change'''

|-

|[[United People's Freedom Alliance]] (''Eksath Janatha Nidahas Sandhanaya'')

*[[Sri Lanka Freedom Party]] (''Sri Lanka Nidahas Pakshaya'')

*[[People's Liberation Front]] (''Janatha Vimuktasi Peramuna'')

*[[Sri Lanka People's Party]] (''Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya'')

*[[Muslim National Unity Alliance]]

*[[People's United Front]] (''Mahajana Eksath Peramuna'')

*[[Deshiya Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna]]

*[[Communist Party of Sri Lanka]]

*[[Democratic United National Front]]

*[[National Liberation People's Party]] (''Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party'')

*[[Lanka Equal Society Party]] (''Lanka Sama Samaja Party'')

|align="right" |4,317,996

|align="right" |46.6

|align="right" |+0.2

|align="right" |105

|align="right" |+12

|-

|[[United National Front]] (''Eksath Jathika Peramuna'')

*[[United National Party]] (''Eshat Jathika Pakshaya'')

*[[Ceylon Workers' Congress]]

|align="right" |3,410,174

|align="right" |36.8

|align="right" |-8.8

|align="right" |82

|align="right" |-27

|-

|[[Tamil National Alliance]] (''Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi'')

*[[All Ceylon Tamil Congress]]

*[[Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front]]

*[[Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization]]

*[[Tamil United Liberation Front]]

|align="right" |633,654

|align="right" |6.8

|align="right" |-

|align="right" |22

|align="right" |+22

|-

|[[Jathika Hela Urumaya]] (''National Heritage Party'')

|align="right" |554,076

|align="right" |6.0

|align="right" |-

|align="right" |9

|align="right" |+9

|-

|[[Sri Lanka Muslim Congress]]

|align="right" |186,876

|align="right" |2.0

|align="right" |+0.8

|align="right" |5

|align="right" |-

|-

|[[Up-Country People's Front]]

|align="right" |

|align="right" |0.5

|

|align="right" |1

|

|-

|[[Eelam People's Democratic Party]]

|align="right" |21,860

|align="right" |0.2

|align="right" |-0.6

|align="right" |1

|align="right" |-1

|-

| Other

|align="right" |138,096

|align="right" |1.5

|align="right" |-

|align="right" |1

|align="right" |-15

|-

| '''Total'''

| '''9,262,732'''

| -

| -

| '''225'''

| '''-29'''

|}

Sri Lanka is member of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[Asian Development Bank|ADB]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|C]], [[Colombo Plan|CP]], [[Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific|ESCAP]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 24|G-24]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]], [[International Hydrographic Organization|IHO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[International Mobile Satellite Organization|Inmarsat]], [[Intelsat]], [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]] (observer), [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[United Nations University|UNU]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], and [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]].

[[December 7]], [[2001]]''election results:''

2001 (75.8 % turnout) percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - UNF 45.6%, ([[People's Alliance]], PA - main constituent is [[Sri Lanka Freedom Party]]) 37.3%, [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] (JVP, People's United Liberation Front) 9.1%, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) 3.9%, SLMC 1.2%, EPDP 0.8%, Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF) 0.2%, the Sinhala Urumaya (0.6%) and the New Left Front (0.5%) and other small parties gained no seats.

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://opedcolumn.news.blog/2019/06/20/rivals-competing-over-sri-lanka-seaports|title=Rivals Competing over Sri Lanka's Seaports|last=Weerakoon|first=Dushni|date=June 20, 2019|website=OpedColumn.News.Blog}}</ref>

1994 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

== Political pressure groups ==

'''Judicial branch:'''

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.

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president; Court of Appeals, judges are appointed by the president

== See also ==

'''Political parties and leaders:'''

* [[List of rulers of Ceylon]]

* [[List of presidents of Sri Lanka]]

* [[List of prime ministers of Sri Lanka]]

* [[Leftist parties in Sri Lanka]]

== Notes ==

Political power in Sri Lanka has so far always been held by one of two parties, alone or in alliance with smaller parties. The older is the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP, led by [[Chandrika Kumaratunga]]), with its allies making up the United People's Freedom Alliance (formerly the People's Alliance). The United National Front (UNF) is built around the United National Party (UNP, led by [[Ranil Wickremesinghe]]).

{{notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=ndf|Member of the [[United National Party]] officially running as independent, endorsed by the UNP and [[Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna|SLPP]] breakaway faction}}

<!--{{efn|name=unp|Member of the [[United National Party]] officially running as independent, endorsed by the UNP and [[Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna|SLPP]] breakaway faction}} -->

}}

== References ==

Other significant parties today include the Tamil United Liberation Front, Tamil National Alliance( a combination of LTTE-friendly parties), the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] (JVP, mainstreamed from its violent past and currently part of the United People's Freedom Alliance), and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).

{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==

There are many other small parties (also see the [[List of political parties in Sri Lanka]]): All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [leader NA]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [leader NA]; Communist Party [leader NA]; Communist Party/Beijing or CP/B [leader NA]; Democratic People's Liberation Front or DPLF [leader NA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [leader NA]; Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party or DVJP [leader NA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [leader NA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [leader NA]; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students or EROS [leader NA]; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyist or LSSP (Lanka Sama Samaja Party) [leader NA]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; New Socialist Party or NSSP (Nava Sama Samaja Party) [leader NA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDDHARTHAN]; People's United Front or MEP (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna) [[[Dinesh GUNAWARDENE]]]; Sri Lanka People's Party or SLMP (Sri Lanka Mahajana Party) [leader NA]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [leader NA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [leader NA]; Upcountry People's Front or UPF [leader NA]; several other ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils

{{Refbegin|2}}

'''Political pressure groups and leaders:'''

Buddhist clergy; [[Sri Lanka Trade Unions| trade unions/labour unions]]; [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] or LTTE (insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups.

* Hickman, J. 1999. "Explaining the Two-Party System in Sri Lanka's National Assembly." ''Contemporary South Asia, Volume 8, Number 1'' (March), pp.&nbsp;29–40 (A detailed description of the effects of the bonus seat provision).

'''International organization participation:'''

* [[James Jupp]], Sri Lanka: Third World Democracy, London: Frank Cass and Company, Limited, 1978.

[[AsDB]], [[Commonwealth|C]], [[Colombo Plan|CP]], [[Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific|ESCAP]], [[FAO]], [[G-24]], [[G-77]], [[IAEA]], [[IBRD]], [[ICAO]], [[International Chamber of Commerce|ICC]], [[ICFTU]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[IFAD]], [[IFC]], [[IFRCS]], [[IHO]], [[ILO]], [[IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Inmarsat]], [[Intelsat]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]] (observer), [[OPCW]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[SAARC]], [[UN]], [[UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[UNIDO]], [[United Nations University|UNU]], [[UPU]], [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[WIPO]], [[WMO]], [[WToO]], [[WTrO]].

{{Refend}}

'''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

==See alsoFurther reading ==

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

*[[Sri Lanka]]

*[[List of rulers of Ceylon]]

*[[List of Presidents of Sri Lanka]]

*[[List of Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka]]

== External links ==

==Reference==

* [http://www.governor.up.gov.lk Office of the Governor – Uva / ඌව පලාත් ආණ්ඩුකාරවර කාර්යාලය ]

*Hickman, J. 1999. "Explaining the Two-Party System in Sri Lanka's National Assembly." ''Contemporary South Asia, Volume 8, Number 1'' (March), pp. 29-40 (A detailed description of the effects of the bonus seat provision).

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