Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note-Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note-Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party-PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party-PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial
Service Commission; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), C. G.
Kumar PONNAMBALAM; Ceylon Workers Congress (CLDC), S. THONDAMAN;
Communist Party, K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N.
SHANMUGATHASAN; Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), leader
NA; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front (DUNLF), Srimani
ATHULATHMUDALI; Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas
DEVANANDA; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRL),
Suresh PREMACHANDRAN; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students
(EROS), Shankar RAJI; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Somawansa
AMERASINGHE; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama
Samaja Party), Batty WEERAKOON; Liberal Party (LP), Rajira WIJESINGHE;
New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva
NANAYAKKARA; People's Alliance (PA), Chandrika Bandaranaike
KUMARATUNGA; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE),
Uma MAHESWARAN; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath
Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP),
Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC),
M. H. M. ASHRAFF; Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka
Mahajana Party), Y. P. DE SILVA; Sri Lanka Progressive Front (SLPF),
Ariya BULEGODA; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), M. K.
SIVAJILINGHAM; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), M.
SIVASITHAMBARAM; United National Party (UNP), Ranil WICHREMESINGHE;
Upcountry People's Front (UPF), Periyasamy CHANDRASEKARAN; Desha
Vimukthi Janatha Party (DVJP), P.M. Podi APPUHAMY; several ethnic
Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or
provincial councils
note: the United Socialist Alliance (USA), which was formed in 1987
and included the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B, was defunct as of
1993, following the formation of the People's Alliance Party (PA)
Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions