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 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2005) election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (PA) 51%, Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (UNP) 42%, other 7%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district 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 president;
Court of Appeals, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC
; Ceylon Workers Congress or CLDC ; Communist
Party ; Communist Party/Beijing or CP/B ;
Democratic People's Liberation Front or DPLF ; Democratic
United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF ; Desha Vimukthi
Janatha Party or DVJP ; Eelam People's Democratic Party or
EPDP ; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or
EPRLF ; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students or
EROS ; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP ; Lanka
Socialist Party/Trotskyite or LSSP (Lanka Sama Samaja Party) [leader
NA]; Liberal Party or LP ; New Socialist Party or NSSP
(Nava Sama Samaja Party) ; People's Alliance or PA
; People's Liberation Organization
of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE ; People's United Front or MEP
(Mahajana Eksath Peramuna) ; Sri Lanka Freedom
Party or SLFP ; Sri Lanka Muslim
Congress or SLMC ; Sri Lanka People's Party or SLMP (Sri
Lanka Mahajana Party) ; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF
; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO ;
Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF ; United National
Party or UNP ; Upcountry People's Front or UPF
; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in
either parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders: Buddhist clergy; labor unions;
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE (insurgent group fighting for
a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the
National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAM chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 483-4025 through 4028 FAX: (202) 232-7181 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York