Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination (Topic: Sri Lanka to Abolish 19th Amendment)

Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

Sri Lanka to Abolish 19th Amendment

Sri Lankan government has granted approval to abolish the 19th amendment to the constitution and replace it with the 20th amendment.

The 19th Amendment (19A) to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed on 28 April 2015. Amendment was added by his then President Maithripala Sirisena to reform the country's political system by reducing the ability of presidents to amass extensive powers.
The 19A depoliticised the government administration by ensuring the independence of key pillars such as the judiciary, public service and elections.
The reformists in 2015 argued that the 19A was needed to correct the power imbalance created by the 18A which the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010 had introduced.
The 18A lifted the two-term bar for a President to run for office.
The 19A brought in the reversal bringing back the two terms bar and reducing the presidential term from 6 to 5 years. It pruned the powers of the presidency and empowered parliament.
As per 19A, the President is the head of Cabinet and can appoint Ministers on the advice of Prime Minister.
President can dissolve Parliament only after four and a half years.
The 19 A prevented dual citizens from contesting elections. At the time, two of the Rajapaksa family members including the current President were dual citizens of the US and Sri Lanka.
The 19 A provided for the Constitutional Council and establishment of independent commissions.

During the August 5 election, the Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) sought two thirds parliamentary mandate or 150 seats in the 225-member assembly to effect constitutional changes, the foremost of them was the move to abolish the 19A.
The SLPP and allies won 150 seats and have a two-third majority to effect the constitutional change they desire.
Public had given him two thirds majority – for the first time in the history in an election held under the proportional representation system.
President Rajapaksa also stressed that his governance will be based while giving foremost place to Buddhism – the religion of the 77 per cent of Sri Lankans.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was removed from the presidency after a decade in power when he lost the 2015 elections.
Analysts now warn the brothers would try to ensure they do not lose power again.
The Rajapaksa brothers enjoy popular support of the Sinhala Buddhist majority for spearheading the defeat of Tamil separatists in 2009 to end the bloody 37-year civil war when Mahinda was President and Gotabaya was secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
But they have also attracted criticism from the international community, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes committed in the final months of the conflict, in which more than 100,000 people were killed.
The move will strengthen Rajapaksa's grip on power because the country will return to its previous constitutional status, in which the president could head ministries, appoint and dismiss ministers, appoint officials for the police, judiciary and public service and dissolve parliament any time after one year.
Currently Sri Lanka’s President is Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister is Mahinda Rajapaksa