Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) announced it will support a new constitution that will retain the current executive presidential system, but with a greater evolution of power in a unitary state.
The policy-making Executive Committee of the UNP in a major policy decision declared its support to keep the presidency while changing the electoral system in favour of a hybrid of first-past-the-post and proportional representation.
The policy-making Executive Committee of the UNP in a major policy decision declared its support to keep the presidency while changing the electoral system in favour of a hybrid of first-past-the-post and proportional representation.
The UNP said it supports a system where the prime minister will be answerable to parliament and the executive exercising the powers already granted by the current constitution.
"...we will support a system where the special powers exercised by President Maithripala Sirisena will be continued," the UNP said in a statement.
It is in line with the UNP’s manifesto for the August 2015 parliamentary election.
It said it was also for a greater devolution of power, but did not say if it would be in line with the 13th amendment to the constitution which established the Provincial Council system.
