Sri Lanka Prez drafts constitutional changes, seeks to restore exec powers

Sri Lanka’s newly elected government under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has drafted constitutional changes that restore sweeping executive powers to his office.Gazetted on Thursday, the amendment would restore the president’s powers to dissolve parliament one year after its election, which had been increased to four-and-half-years under a previous change.

The latest changes also include replacing the Constitutional Council with a weakened Parliamentary Council made up of only legislators and no civil society members, while the appointment of members to the Elections Commission, the Human Rights Commission and five other bodies will be made by the executive.

Restrictions on dual citizens sitting