President of Sri Lanka
| President of Sri Lanka | |
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| ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති இலங்கை சனாதிபதி | |
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| Style | The Honourable (Informal) His Excellency (Formal and diplomatic) |
| Member of | Cabinet National Security Council |
| Residence | President's House (de jure) 61 Paget Road, Colombo 7 (de facto)[1][2] |
| Seat | Colombo |
| Appointer | Direct election |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| Precursor | Governor-General of Ceylon |
| Inaugural holder | William Gopallawa |
| Formation | 22 May 1972 |
| Salary | LKR 1,170,000 annually (2016)[3] |
| Website | President Presidential Secretariat |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Sri Lanka |
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The President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Template:Lang-si Shri Lanka Janadhipathi; Template:Lang-ta Ilankai janatipati) is the executive head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and is the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
The office was created in 1972 as the head of state and becoming the head of government in 1978, thus the president remains the single most dominant political office in the country. The current President is Maithripala Sirisena.
Origin
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At independence, executive power in Ceylon resided with the monarch, represented by the Governor-General, which was exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister. The 1972 constitution removed the monarch and replaced the governor-general with a president, but it remained a mostly ceremonial position.
The 1978 constitution moved from a Westminster-based political system into one modeled on France. As in France, a new, directly elected President with a longer term and independence from Parliament was created. The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, head of the Cabinet, appoints the prime minister, and could dissolve parliament (after one year has passed since the convening of parliament after a parliamentary election)[citation needed] The 17th constitutional amendment of 2001 reduced certain powers of the President in particular in regard to the appointment of the upper judiciary and independent commissions such as the election commission or the bribery and corruption commission.
In practice, the Sri Lankan presidency was much more powerful than the President of France. French presidents traditionally deal only with defense and foreign policy, leaving domestic affairs to the Prime Minister. Sri Lankan presidents are involved with every aspect of the government and are able to hold cabinet portfolios, or can bypass the cabinet posts by delegating decisions to the Presidential Secretariat.
The Nineteenth Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution implemented restrictions on the powers of the presidency. It limited the presidency to two, five year terms. The amendment mandates that the president consult the prime minister on ministerial appointments. It curtails any president’s immunity by making him liable to fundamental rights litigation on any official act.[4]
Powers
Presidents have little constraints on their power and they cannot be taken to court. However they can be impeached by a two-thirds majority in Parliament. They can place the country in a state of emergency, under which they can override any law passed and promulgate any regulation without needing legislative approval. However, to prolong the state of emergency for more than a month parliamentary approval is needed.
At the opening of Parliament, the President delivers an address similar to a Speech from the Throne, outlining government policy. After the 2015 presidential election, President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena pledged in a 100-day work program to bring in constitutional reforms to return to Westminster-style government based on an executive cabinet responsible to parliament.[5]
Administrative powers
The President is the head of the executive, as such numerous appointments which includes the prime minister, cabinet and non-cabinet ministers, provincial governors, public officers, ambassadors and commissioned officers of the armed forces. The President may also appoint secretaries, officers and staff to carryout the duties of the office of the president.
Juridical powers
The President would have the power to appoint and remove, the Chief Justice, Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices of the Court of Appeal and Judges of the High Court.
Honorary appointments
The President has the power to appoint senior attorneys-at-laws to the position of President's Counsel. The President may appoint officers from the armed forces to serve as his aide-de-camp as well as extra-aide-de-camp. Additionally, President may appoint medical officers of the armed forces as Honorary Physician to the President and Honorary Surgeon to the President.[6]
Pay, official residences and travel
The president would receive a salary (as of 2017) of LKR 97,500 paid from the consolidated fund[7]. The official residence of the president is the President's House (formerly the Queen's House as the residences of the Governor-General) in Colombo. The government pays for meals and staff. However the president's office is the Presidential Secretariat which is at the former Parliament building in Colombo, where many formal functions takes place. Other presidential residences include:
- the President's Pavilion, in Kandy, is a presidential residences used for (rare) state functions;
- the Queen's Cottage is the official presidential vacationing residence in the town of Nuwara Eliya.
In recent years from time to time Prime Minister's House, commonly referred to as Temple Trees, which has been the traditional official residence of the Prime Minister since 1948, has been used by some presidents such as Kumaratunga and Rajapaksa. While other presidents such as Jayewardene and Sirisena have refuse to use Presidents House, with the former preferring to stay at his personal residence Braemar and the later at his former ministerial residence at Wijayarama Mawatha..
For ground travel, the president uses the presidential state car, which is an armored black Mercedes-Benz S-Class (S600) Pullman Guard. For domestic air travel, helicopters from the No. 4 (VVIP/VIP) Helicopter Squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force are used while for long distance travel, regular flights of the Sri Lankan Airlines are used. During ceremonial occasions, ships and boats of the Sri Lanka Navy have been commissioned as the Presidential yacht.
Security
President's Security Division (PSD) is the main unit of the charged with the close protection of the President of Sri Lanka. During President Mahinda Rajapakse's time in office the specialized Army unit the 'President's Guard' was formed for Presidential Security. Prior to the formation of the President's Guard, army personnel served as a squadron under the President's Security Division since 1996 and focused on key tasks including the perimeter security of presidential residence, Temple Trees. 5th Regiment Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was the first army unit chosen to be in the dedicated security of the president of Sri Lanka during the presidency of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. However, in April 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the President's Guard.[8] Currently the President's security division is under Special Task Force (STF) of Sri Lanka Police.
Post-presidency
Under the Constitutions of Sri Lanka, holders of the office of president are granted a pension and privileges equivalent to a serving cabinet minister. This would include the order of precedence, an official residence, an office, staff and security.
Selection process
Under the constitution a President would be selected in a Presidential election.
Succession or vacancy
Succession to or vacancies in the office of President may arise under several possible circumstances: death or incapacity, resignation and removal from office.
Last election
Template:Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015
See also
- List of Presidents of Sri Lanka
- Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
- Presidential Secretariat
- President's Security Division
- President's Guard
- Official state car of President of Sri Lanka
- Air transports of Heads of Government of Sri Lanka
References
- ^ "President Justifies Rs 180 M Budget For Repairs His Residence". Colombotelegraph.com. Colombo Telegraph. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Hemmathagama, Ashwin (26 June 2015). "PM makes mockery of MR privileges claims". Ft.lk. Daily Financial Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Thomas, Kris (21 November 2016). "Of Ministers' Salaries And Parliamentary Perks". Roar.lk. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Strides in the right direction". The Economist. Apr 30, 2015. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
- ^ "President Maithripala Sirisena's 100 day work programme". 10 January 2015. Daily News Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Sri Lanka Army Officers Service Regulations
- ^ Of Ministers’ Salaries And Parliamentary Perks
- ^ Army personnel removed from Presidential Guard