Sri Lanka rolls back reforms aimed at curbing authoritarianism in vote to boost president’s powers

With the constitutional amendment, Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be able to hold ministries, appoint and sack ministers, and name members of commissions

The changes reverse reforms dating to 2015 that aimed to limit presidential powers in a bid to prevent creeping authoritarianism

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Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves after addressing parliament in Colombo earlier this year. Photo: AP

Published: 11:25am, 23 Oct 2020Updated: 10:17pm, 23 Oct 2020

Sri Lanka’s parliament has approved – by a large majority – a constitutional amendment concentrating powers under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and reversing reforms a previous government had made to curb authoritarianism.

After the August elections gave him the parliamentary votes to change the charter, Rajapaksa had said the amendment would be his government’s priority because the reduced presidential powers hindered his work.

The 20th amendment to the constitution was passed late on Thursday with a 91-vote majority with 156 lawmakers in the 225-member parliament voting in favour. Sixty-five lawmakers voted against.

With the change, Rajapaksa will be able to hold ministries, as well as appoint and sack ministers. He will also be the appointing authority of the elections, public service, police, human rights, bribery or corruption investigation commissions.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, centre, pictured in parliament during an oath-taking ceremony of his new cabinet last year. Photo: AP

These commissions were perceived as independent with a constitutional council comprising of lawmakers from different political parties and civil personalities making the appointments. With the amendment, the constitutional council is abolished for a parliamentary council whose observations the president is not bound to implement.

The president can also dissolve parliament after two years and six months of the legislature being elected instead of the previous law that prohibited him from dissolving parliament until six months before its five-year term ends.