In Sri Lanka, opposition proposes constitutional amendment to end presidential system

By PTI, 21 April 2022
Protests in Sri-Lanka on government's handling of the economy (photo credit: PTI)
Protests in Sri-Lanka on government's handling of the economy (photo credit: PTI)
Sri Lanka’s main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) [...] presented a constitutional amendment bill that among other provisions seeks to abolish the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978 [...]. The move by the SJB party came in the backdrop of massive protests demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government over the country’s worst economic crisis. [...] The SJB document proposes to “abolish the executive presidential system and replace it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy”. [...] While the President will remain the Head of State and the Commander in Chief, the President has no personal discretion in appointing or dismissing the Prime Minister, according to the proposal. The Prime Minister shall be the head of the Cabinet of ministers and the ministers are to be appointed by the President on the prime minister’s advice, it adds. The amendment, while seeking to annul the 20th Amendment adopted in 2020, aims to restore the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to curb the powers of the President and empower Parliament.
Read the full article here: The Hindu

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