Legal System of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is located in South Asia. It is geographically situated in southern asia, island in the indian ocean, south of india. The country achieved independence on 4 february 1948 (from the uk). The capital is Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital).
Government Overview
Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE (since 23 September 2024) Head of Government: President Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE (since 23 September 2024) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Eastern, North Central, Northern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western National Holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 4 February (1948) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Sri Lanka is described as mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, Jaffna Tamil customary law, and Muslim personal law International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 Amendment Process: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of its total membership, certification by the president of the republic or the Parliament speaker, and in some cases approval in a referendum by absolute majority of valid votes
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of the chief justice and 9 justices); has exclusive jurisdiction to review legislation Judge Selection: chief justice nominated by the Constitutional Council (CC), a 9-member high-level advisory body, and appointed by the president; other justices nominated by the CC and appointed by the president on the advice of the chief justice; all justices can serve until age 65 Subordinate Courts: Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrates’ Courts; municipal and primary courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of unicameral
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Sri Lanka Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced circa 250 B.C., and the first kingdoms developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (from about 200 B.C. to about A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about A.D. 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a South Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Sri Lanka based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.