Government & politics — Sri Lanka

• history: several previous; latest adopted 16 August 1978,
• certified 31 August 1978 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of its total membership, certification by the president of the republic or the Parliament speaker, and in some cases approval in a referendum by absolute majority of valid votes; amended many times, last in 2020

• chief of state: President Anura Ku
• mara DISSANAYAKE (since 23 September 2024) head of government: Prime
• Minister Harini AMARASURIYA (since 24 September 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in cons
• ultation with the prime minister election/appointment process: president directly elected by preferential majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime
• minister appointed by the president most recent election date: 21
• September 2024 election results: 2024: Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE elected president; percent of vote after reallocation - Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE (JVP) 55.9%, Sajith PREMADASA (SJB) 44.1% 2022: Ranil WICKREMESINGHE elected president by Parliament on 20 July 2022; Parliament vote - WICKREMESINGHE (UNP) 134,
• Dullas ALAHAPPERUMA (SLPP) 82 expected date of next election: 2029

Description

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; 196 members directly elected in multi-seat district constituencies by proportional representation vote using a preferential method in which voters select 3 candidates in order of preference; remaining 29 seats, referred to as the "national list" are allocated by each party secretary according to the island wide proportional vote the party obtains; members serve 5-year terms)

Elections

last held on 5 August 2020 (next to be held in August 2025)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party/coalition - SLFPA 59.1%, SJB 23.9%, JVP 3.8%, TNA 2.8%, UNP 2.2%, TNPF 0.6%, EPDP 0.5%, other 7.1%
• seats by party/coalition - SLFPA 145, SJB 54, TNA 10, JVP 3, other 13
• composition as of February 2024 - men 213, women 12, percentage women 5.3%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of the chief justice and 9 justices); note - the court has exclusive jurisdic
• tion to review legislation judge selection and term of office: chief justice nominated by the Constitutional Council (CC), a 9-member high-level advisory body, and appointed by the president; other justices nominated by the CC and appointed by the president on the advice of the chief justice;
• all justices can serve until age 65 subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; municipal and primary courts

Summary

9 provinces

Regions or States

• Central
• Eastern
• North Central
• Northern
• North Western
• Sabaragamuwa
• Southern
• Uva
• Western

• Crusaders for Democracy or CFD [Ganeshalingam CHANDRALINGAM]
• Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]
• Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]
• Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi or ITAK [Mavai SENATHIRAJAH]
• Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE]
• Jathika Hela Urumaya or JHU [Udaya GAMMANPILA]
• National People's Power or NPP (also known as Jathika Jana Balawegaya or JJB) [Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE]
• People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [Dharmalingam SIDDARTHAN]
• Samagi Jana Balawegaya or SJB [Sajith PREMADASA]
• Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Maithripala SIRISENA]
• Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]
• Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance or SLPFA [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA] (includes SLPFP, SLPP, and several smaller parties)
• Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (Sri Lanka's People's Front) or SLPP [Gamini Lakshman PEIRIS]
• Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]
• Tamil National Alliance or TNA [Rajavarothiam SAMPANTHAN] (includes ITAK, PLOTE, TELO)
• Tamil National People's Front or TNPF [Gajendrakumar PONNAMBALAM]
• Tamil People's National Alliance or TPNA [Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam VIGNESWARAN]
• United National Front for Good Governance or UNFGG [Ranil WICKREMESINGHE] (coalition includes JHU, UNP)
• United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMESINGHE]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one pare
• nt must be a citizen of Sri Lanka dual citizenship recognized: no, except in cases where the government rules it is to the
• benefit of Sri Lanka residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

ABEDA, ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CD, CICA (observer), CP, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Julie J. CHUNG (since 17 February 2022) embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 03 mailing address: 6100 Colombo Place, Washington DC 20521-6100

telephone

[94] (11) 249-8500

FAX

[94] (11) 243-7345

Email address and website

• colomboacs@state.gov
• https://lk.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Mahinda SAMARASINGHE (since 13 January 2022)

chancery

3025 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 483-4025

FAX

[1] (202) 232-7181

Email address and website

• slembassy@slembassyusa.org
• https://slembassyusa.org/new/

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, New York