Sri Lanka PM Proposes Curtailing President's Power as Thousands Continue to March Through Streets

Gotabaya Rajapaksa concentrated executive power in 2020 when his government amended the constitution, taking away parliament’s role in key appointments like judges and the police chiefs. As the country reels from an economic meltdown, massive protests began in March to demand restoration of parliamentary supremacy.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has proposed a constitutional amendment to reduce presidential powers amid unrelenting demonstrations across the island nation against the government, which protesters hold responsible for the ongoing economic crisis.

Speaking at the parliament on Tuesday, Mahinda, brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said that the new amendment will incorporate positive aspects of the executive, legislature, and judiciary that can provide an accountable government in line with the public demands.

“While looking for solutions to the economic problems, it is important that we have political and social stability in the country,” Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said, adding that restoring supremacy of parliament will be one of the reforms to deal with the crisis.

The PM is expected to propose a constitutional amendment to the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led cabinet very soon.

Thousands of protesters remain adamant in their demand for the removal of Gotabaya from his post despite the re-constitution of the cabinet on Monday.

Protesters have occupied the entry gate to the president’s office since 9 April as they believe the “authoritarian” Gotabaya is responsible for the current economic crisis.

In October 2020, the Gotabaya government passed the 20th constitutional amendment, which authorised the president to dissolve parliament and supervise institutions that oversee elections, police, human rights, and anti-corruption efforts.

Gotabaya, a former army general and defence secretary who oversaw the defeat of the Tamil insurgents after three decades of war in 2009, was elected with a landslide two-thirds majority in 2019.

But his position was soon challenged as Sri Lanka’s economic health worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, which crippled foreign exchange inflow.

Tourism and remittances received from Sri Lankan nationals working abroad are significant sources of foreign exchange.

The 22 million Sri Lankans are facing a severe shortage of essential commodities, including medicine, as the island nation does not have enough foreign exchange currency to support imports.

The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government announced a $51 billion debt default on April 12, its first since 1948.

The country has sought a $4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to sustain imports for a couple of months.

Massive #JVP protest march heading towards #Colombo...#SriLanka #lka #SriLankaProtests #SriLankanCrisis #EconomicCrisisLK #ProtestLK #GotaGoHome #gohomegota #gotagogama #JVPprotest #srilankaneconomiccrisispic.twitter.com/zPUI0FC2XA

— Mako (@MekoTweet) April 19, 2022

On Tuesday, Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry met with Kristalina Georgieva, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, urging the financial institution to provide rapid financial assistance to stabilise the situation.

Shamir Zavahir, accompanying Sabry on the delegation to Washington, tweeted that Sri Lanka had asked for a loan under the rapid financial instrument (RFI) window to mitigate the current supply chain issues.

But he said the IMF was initially of the view that Sri Lanka does not qualify its criteria.

“India subsequently made representations on an RFI for Sri Lanka as well and IMF may consider this request due to the unique circumstances,” Zavahir, head of reforms at the ministry of justice, added.

India is expected to announce a separate loan for the beleaguered country that had to meet $7 billion in debt payments this year.