Lanka's Joint Opposition says no to scrapping of presidential system

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa-backed Joint Opposition has opposed the proposed 20th amendment to the Constitution seeking to abolish the executive presidential form of government, a party leader said today.

The Joint Opposition (JO) party leaders met yesterday and decided against the 20th amendment (20A) move presented as a private member's bill by the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), JO leader Udaya Gammanpila said.

"We met and decided to oppose the 20A," he said.

The opposition came from Rajapaksa himself and was unanimously agreed by other party leaders, Gammanpila said.

The 20A moved as a private member's motion by the JVP seeks to abolish the presidential system that has been in force since 1978.

"Presidency is the reason for all undemocratic action happening in the country," JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

The JO's oposition means the move would not have the two-thirds majority required in the 225-member assembly to adopt it.

Only the JVP and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party are currently in support of it.

They could together muster only around 112 votes, far short of the 150 required.

Rajapaksa initially had said he was in favour of the 20A, but backtracked later following protests from his own partymen.

The move would favour Rajapaksa as he is constitutionally barred from running again for a third presidential term.

However, he could still return as Prime Minister if the presidency is abolished to replace it with a premier-headed government.

Sirisena pledged in 2015 to abolish the system but only through limited tinkering with presidential powers by adopting the 19A amendment.

The 19A removed the presidents power to arbitrarily dismiss the elected parliament before four-and-a-half years of its term.

However, the minority Tamil and Muslim parties have expressed unwillingness to support the abolition of the presidency as they feel they are well served in safeguarding their political rights through the presidential system.