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

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