Explained: What’s the 21st Constitutional Amendment aimed to cut power of Sri Lankan presidents
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However, the two proposals are different in the influence that the President will hold on to parliament. According to the SJB proposal, the president will be elected by parliament for a period of five years and can be removed in a voice without trust. The president will also lose the power to dissolve the parliamentary session at will. The second proposal, on the other hand, allows the president to disperse or prioritize parliament at any time after 2.5 years from his first sitting.
The proposal by SJB also called for the formation of the National Security Council to formulate policies and monitor the implementation of policies relating to national security. The council will be chaired by the Prime Minister.
In addition, the bill proposed amendments to Article 70 to enable parliament to issue resolutions with a majority vote to dissolve parliament before his term of office ended.
Which amendment preceded the 121th amendment?
The 19th amendment in April 2015 was rushed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. It has erased the President’s power to fire the Prime Minister over his policy. Article 46 (2) and 48 Sri Lanka’s Constitution is changed to ensure that cabinet ministers can be dismissed only if the prime minister no longer holds positions, resignation or vice versa, or only if the parliament rejects government or budget policy statements or if the parliament gives an insecure vote against the government. The amendment also limits the president’s strength to dismiss the cabinet minister because he is required to act on the suggestion of the Prime Minister.
This was canceled in 2019, when the Rajapaksa family came to power with Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential election and his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa who occupied the Prime Minister’s office. The 19th amendment was deleted.
After registering a landslide victory in the 2020 general election, Rajapaksas increased the executive strength of a president by bringing the 20th amendment. The amendment also empowered the president to make the main gathering promise to an independent institution. That was after the passage of this amendment, members of the close family of Rajapaksa brothers were installed in important positions.
See the time of the proposed amendment
The proposed amendment comes at the time sri lanka is facing its torsont economic and political crisis since it was liberated from British rule in 1948. A CRIPPLING SHORTAGE OF FURERGN RESPERS The price of food that has soared accumulates misery in people.
The protesters who were placed outside the Secretariat in Colombo and throughout the island country demanded that the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, while his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister after a clash of violence last week that killed nine people and hundreds of injured.
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In the midst of increasing hatred, the President fired his cabinet and appointed a younger cabinet. The 73 -year -old national party leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was appointed as the new prime minister.
The amendment discussion also came as a hope to bring peace to the country, where leaders reach all the party lines to resolve the applicable crisis. Wickremesinghe also invited leaders from 10 parties who came out of the previous government to discuss the current political situation and said he would make an appointment after meeting them.
The Sri Lanka Potujana Peamuna Party (SLPP) from Rajapaksa has given their support to Wickremesinghe and almost all parties represented in 225 MPs have said that even though they will not be a party for the Wickremesinghe government, they will support him in his efforts to attract Sri Lanka out of the crisis current economy. The Head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and former President Maithripala Sirisena had written a letter to Wickremesinghe, said that his party would support the formation of his government.
Amendments will try to resolve the governance crisis in the country, where hatred of the president increases but the executive presidency proves the big obstacles in eliminating the president and dissolving parliament.
However, the two proposals are different in the influence that the President will hold on to parliament. According to the SJB proposal, the president will be elected by parliament for a period of five years and can be removed in a voice without trust. The president will also lose the power to dissolve the parliamentary…