Executive presidency of Sri Lanka
Topic: Union Executive: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Executive"
Meaning
The executive presidency of Sri Lanka is the system set up by Sri Lanka's 1978 constitution. The people elect the president directly. The president is head of state (the formal head of the country), head of government (the leader who runs it) and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president can also remove the prime minister and ministers. Removing the president needs Parliament plus an inquiry by the Supreme Court. It matters for UPSC as a contrast with India, where Parliament alone removes the President and real power lies with the PM.
Example
At first the president had a six-year term. The 19th Amendment (2015) cut it to five years. The 20th Amendment (2020) gave the president back strong powers, and the 21st Amendment (2022) partly reversed that.
Don't confuse with
- Indian President: India's President is a nominal head who acts on ministers' advice, and Parliament alone can remove the President through impeachment.
- Presidential system (USA): Sri Lanka also has a prime minister who answers to parliament, so it is usually grouped with semi-presidential systems.
Related concepts
- Presidential system
- Parliamentary system
- Semi-presidential executive
- Nominal executive
- Real executive