Sri Lanka opposition leader quits presidential run in bid to stymie Wickremesinghe – By Hannah Ellis Sajith Premadasa instead pledges support for splinter faction of ruling party that could upset PM’s bid to become president Source: theguardian.com Sri Lanka’s main opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, has withdrawn from the presidential race and thrown his support behind a rival candidate, presenting a significant challenge to prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s bid for the executive role. In an announcement made on Tuesday morning, Premadasa said that “for the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of president”. Premadasa instead pledged his support for Dullas Alahapperuma, the candidate from a breakaway group of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party (SLPP). The decision to withdraw from the presidential race is believed to be driven in part by the tough political future that ...
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In appointing a Prime Minister, President cannot exercise his powers arbitrarily – By Sunil de Silva, President’s Counsel It would be useful to examine how and from what source the President derives the power to appoint a Prime Minister. Unlike a monarch or dictator, the President derives his authority solely on account of the ultimate sovereign, the People of Sri Lanka, having chosen by exercise of their vote to elect and duly authorise the President to exercise the powers designated by them, and on their behalf. The people do not say ‘do whatever you have to do, for as long as you like’, they stipulate, by the Constitution, what power the elected person may exercise and for what period he or she enjoys that trust. Regarding the power to appoint a Prime Minister, the President may genuinely be of the view that a corporate businessman who has taken over a crumbling ...
