After the United National Party’s 1977 election landslide, Parliament amended the 1972 constitution to convert the presidency from mainly ceremonial to a powerful executive office. The amendment also set a mechanism for the sitting prime minister to become executive president, marking a major shift away from the earlier Westminster-style system.
Under the constitutional changes, Prime Minister J. R. Jayewardene assumed the new executive presidency. This moment is often treated as the practical start of Sri Lanka’s modern executive-presidential system, concentrating key executive authority in the presidency.
Sri Lanka enacted a new constitution that entrenched the executive presidency and reshaped the country’s governing framework. The constitution is widely described as giving the president sweeping powers and became the central legal structure for politics from 1978 onward.
A constitutional amendment allowed an incumbent president to call a presidential election early, after completing four years of the first term. This changed electoral strategy and reinforced the president’s ability to shape political timing.
Sri Lanka and India signed an accord intended to reduce fighting and address Tamil demands through political devolution. The agreement linked conflict management to constitutional change, setting up the next major reform to the 1978 system.
Parliament passed the 13th Amendment, establishing provincial councils and a framework for devolving power to provinces. While the executive presidency remained strong, the amendment introduced a major new layer of subnational governance tied to conflict resolution efforts.
Parliament unanimously passed reforms meant to reduce political control over key state institutions by creating a Constitutional Council to recommend appointments to several independent commissions (e.g., elections, police, human rights). The change aimed to add checks on presidential appointment power within the executive-presidential system.
The president appointed the Constitutional Council, enabling the new appointment system and related independent commissions to begin operating. This implementation step mattered because the 17th Amendment’s safeguards depended on an active council, not just text on paper.
Sri Lanka adopted reforms that repealed the two-term limit for the presidency and weakened elements of the earlier 17th Amendment system for independent oversight. The shift increased the presidency’s long-run political dominance by enabling repeated reelection and loosening constraints on appointments.
Parliament passed the 19th Amendment as a major effort to reduce presidential powers and strengthen checks and balances. It is widely framed as a key reform moment in the post-1978 constitutional order, responding to concerns about excessive executive power.
Parliament passed the 20th Amendment, reversing much of the 2015 reform agenda and restoring significant authority to the executive presidency. The amendment became a focal point in debates about democratic safeguards and the balance of power between president, parliament, and oversight bodies.
In the wake of the 2022 political and economic crisis, Parliament passed the 22nd Amendment Bill, which became the 21st Amendment upon enactment. The change partially rolled back 2020-era expansions of presidential power and revived some checks through independent commissions, showing the continuing push-and-pull around the executive presidency model.
1978 constitution and the executive presidency (1978-present)