Sri Lankan Parliament Restores Two-term Limit for President
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 28 (UPI) — Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday voted to restore a two-term limit for the country’s president, reversing a policy implemented by the island nation’s prior executive.
Also voted on was a repeal of the president’s ability to dissolve parliamentjust one year into its five-year term. Sri Lankan lawmakers replaced the law with a measure allowing the executive to dissolve parliament after four-and-a-half years.
The moves undermine policies put into place by the country’s former leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, after he was re-elected in 2010. At the time, Rajapaksa repealed a law barring more than two terms for presidential candidates, allowing him to run a third time.
Rajapaksa was widely expected to win in January elections but lost to Maithripala Sirisena, who defected from the ruling party to challenge the incumbent.
The month prior, Sirisena had been bolstered by support from the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress, whose members protested Rajapaksa’s use of widened powers and accused him of religious intolerance.
Sirisena’s election pledges, among other things, included fighting corruption and amending the rule on term limits.
