News
GL: Constitutional constraints prevent President from holding snap presidential election
By Rathindra Kuruwita
President Ranil Wickremesinghe can start the process of seeking a new mandate only by the end of July 2024, Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) member and MP Prof. G.L Peiris says.Prof. Peiris said that a president who was elected by the people could seek a fresh mandate four years after his or her election, but a president elected by Parliament was without that right.
Wickremesinghe had been elected by parliament, and therefore he had to complete the remainder of his predecessor’s term, but he could introduce a constitutional amendment to enable himself to hold a snap presidential election, said Prof. Peiris. Such an amendment had to be passed with a two-thirds majority. There was no need for a referendum, Prof. Peiris said.
Commenting on the 13th Amendment, Prof. Peiris said that seven executive presidents before Ranil Wickremesinghe had not fully implemented it for a reason.
‘The President called for an All Party Conference (APC) on devolution. The discussion was mainly on the full implementation of 13A, i. e., with police powers. We must first try to understand why previous Presidents didn’t fully implement 13A. If the same reasons that held their hands still remain, it is impossible to continue with the APC. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said they would not support it. The president must present the other parties with a proposal that has the backing of the government,” he said.
Prof. Peiris said that almost all opposition political parties were of the view that provincial council elections had to be held. This should be done prior to any discussion on 13A, Prof. Peiris said.
“If there are no provincial councils with elected representatives, who is to be entrusted with the full powers of 13A?” he asked.
The MP said that the President had promised Tamil political parties that a solution to the ethnic problem would be found by the end of the year. The collapse of the APC had shown that it was not possible for him to keep his promise. By making promises that he can’t keep, the President has disappointed Tamil parties and his credibility has suffered, Prof. Peiris said.
“The ethnic problem is a complex, hard, and a very emotional issue. Only a government that has a mandate from the people can do it. J.R. Jayewardene had a five-sixths majority in Parliament. Mahinda Rajapaksa had a close to two-thirds majority. Even they couldn’t fully implement 13A. So, how can this government and the President implement 13A within months?” he asked.
Prof. Peiris added that Sri Lanka must do more to engage with China to restructure its external debt. The government seemed to think that India and Japan could talk to China on behalf of Sri Lanka.
Prof. Peiris also said that there was no constitutional requirement for the government to obtain parliamentary approval for the domestic debt restructuring agreement. The President had presented the debt-restructuring plan to Parliament to cover his back, said Prof. Peiris, adding that the President should have provided parliament with all the information. The President had only provided the staff-level agreement the government had with the IMF, six months later. Parliament had been asking for information. When Ranil was a member of the opposition, he asked the then Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to reveal all agreements with the IMF to Parliament. However, when he became President, he refused to do so, Prof. Peiris said.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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