Sri Lankaportal |
From 1948 to 1972, under the Ceylon Independence Act 1947 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 7), the Monarch of the United Kingdom the served as the head of state of Ceylon, and was represented in Ceylon by a Governor-General. Ceylon became a republic under the Constitution of 1972, and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial President. Since 1978, under the current constitution, the president has executive powers, serving as both the head of state and head of government.
From 1948 to 1972, the Monarch of the United Kingdom served as the head of state of Ceylon. The Governor-General of Ceylon represented the monarch and exercised the duties of the head of state.
Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Consort | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Royal House |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George VI 4 February 1948 – 6 February 1952 | 14 December 1895 | 6 February 1952 | Queen Elizabeth | Position established | Windsor | |
Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 – 22 May 1972 | 21 April 1926 | 8 September 2022 | Prince Philip | Daughter of George VI |
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Appointer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore GCMG KStJ (1887–1964) | 4 February 1948 | 6 July 1949 | George VI | |
Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC (1887–1971) | 6 July 1949 | 17 July 1954 | ||
Elizabeth II | ||||
Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke GCMG KCVO KBE (1892–1978) | 17 July 1954 | 2 March 1962 | ||
William Gopallawa MBE (1897–1981) | 2 March 1962 | 22 May 1972 |
Under the 1972 Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka, the President of Sri Lanka replaced the Monarch as a ceremonial head of state. The president was elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the Prime Minister would serve as acting president.
In the 1978 Constitution, the presidency was made an executive post, otherwise all other the rules were the same as in the 1972 constitution.
№ | Portrait | President (Birth–Death) | Elected | Tenure | Political affiliation of president | Prime Minister | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | |||||||
Non-Executive President | ||||||||
1 | William Gopallawa (1897–1981) | – | 22 May 1972 | 4 February 1978 | Independent | Bandaranaike Jayewardene | ||
Executive President | ||||||||
2 | J. R. Jayewardene (1906–1996) | 1982 | 4 February 1978 | 2 January 1989 | United National Party | Premadasa | ||
3 | Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) | 1988 | 2 January 1989 | 1 May 1993 (assassinated) | United National Party | Wijetunga | ||
4 | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) | – | 1 May 1993 | 7 May 1993 | United National Party | Wickremesinghe Kumaratunga | ||
1993 | 7 May 1993 | 12 November 1994 | ||||||
5 | Chandrika Kumaratunga (born 1945) | 1994 1999 | 12 November 1994 | 19 November 2005 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (PA/UPFA) | Bandaranaike Wickremanayake Wickremesinghe M. Rajapaksa | ||
6 | Mahinda Rajapaksa (born 1945) | 2005 2010 | 19 November 2005 | 9 January 2015 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA) | Wickremanayake Jayaratne | ||
7 | Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) | 2015 | 9 January 2015 | 18 November 2019 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA) [1] | Wickremesinghe | ||
8 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa (born 1949) | 2019 | 18 November 2019 | 14 July 2022 (resigned) | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPFA) | M. Rajapaksa Wickremesinghe | ||
9 | Ranil Wickremesinghe (born 1949) | – | 14 July 2022 | 20 July 2022 | United National Party | Gunawardena | ||
2022 | 20 July 2022 | Incumbent |
Sri Lanka is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government, and it relies on a multi-party system. 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. For decades, the party system was dominated by the socialist Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the conservative United National Party. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The president of Sri Lanka is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union government and the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP, is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party, or as part of its governing coalition, for 38 of the country's 74 years of independence, including the periods 1947–1956, 1965–1970, 1977–1994, 2001–2004 and 2015–2019. The party also controlled the executive presidency from its formation in 1978 until 1994 and back in 2022.
The Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the supreme legislative body of Sri Lanka. It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the island. It is modeled after the British Parliament.
The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.
The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. As of October 2022 it has been formally amended 21 times.
The governor of Ceylon was the representative in Ceylon of the British Crown from 1795 to 1948. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Ceylon. The governor was the head of the British colonial administration in Ceylon, reporting to the Colonial Office.
Ceylon was an independent country in the Commonwealth of Nations from 1948 to 1972, that shared a monarch with other dominions of the Commonwealth. In 1948, the British Colony of Ceylon was granted independence as Ceylon. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers is the council of ministers that form the central government of Sri Lanka. The body of senior ministers responsible and answerable to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The President is a member of the cabinet and its head.
The Speaker of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the presiding officer of the chamber. The current Speaker of the Parliament is Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, in office since 20 August 2020. The Speaker fulfills a number of important functions in relation to the operation of the House, which is based upon the British Westminster parliamentary system.
President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it had been the residence of British Governors and Governors-General and was known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972.
The chief justice of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head of the judiciary of Sri Lanka and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Established in 1801, the chief justice is one of ten Supreme Court justices; the other nine are the puisne justices of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The post was created in 1801. The chief justice is nominated by the Constitutional Council, and appointed by the president. The first chief justice was Codrington Edmund Carrington. The 47th and current chief justice is Jayantha Jayasuriya.
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, who is the constitutional chief executive. The Cabinet is collectively held accountable to parliament for their policies and actions.
The 19th Amendment (19A) to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed by the 225-member Sri Lankan Parliament with 215 voting in favor, one against, one abstained and seven were absent, on 28 April 2015. The amendment envisages the dilution of many powers of Executive Presidency, which had been in force since 1978. It is the most revolutionary reform ever applied to the Constitution of Sri Lanka since JR Jayawardhane became the first Executive President of Sri Lanka in 1978.