Sri Lankan lawmakers debate bill to trim presidential powers
By Wendy Anderson
LANKA, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s parliament began debating on Monday a bill to limit the presidential powers of Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, a key supporter of President Mahinda Therakala, who has repeatedly ruled the government a day after declaring a state of emergency in a rights battle with unions. “The bill is on the parliament’s agenda for an urgent debate next Monday,” an official told Reuters. The bill is aimed at reducing the office’s independence and would allow parliament to remove the prime minister from office. The legislation would be passed by parliament and presented to Therakala for endorsement. The bill would be opposed by some pro-Therakala politicians who say it will be misused by Wickramasinghe to curb his powers as prime minister. The bill being debated – which would replace the post of prime minister with a senate with the power to propose laws – is the second attempt in two years to limit Wickramasinghe’s powers. Wickramasinghe said on Wednesday he wants the president to take on a more traditional role of governing the country and his ministry of power and infrastructure, which has the power to issue licenses for projects. “The bill would curb the president’s power as the sole person in the executive area and would allow politicians to be involved in the process of legislation,” said an official. Therakala, who won a landslide election victory in May, has promised to restore the rights of political activists, striking an amicable rapport with the main opposition, the United National Party (UNP) and backing them in their bid to force early elections. UNP’s leader, Mahinda Samarasinghe, has promised, should the bill pass, to “put in writing” in the next parliament that the UNP is for early elections. (Reporting by Lavinia Karunaratne; Editing by Nick Zieminski) LACK OF A CONNECTION Sri Lankan law does not allow for a parliament to remove the Prime Minister from office. However
