National
Presidency of Sri Lanka
Governs Sri Lanka
Official website (presidentsoffice.gov.lk) Report a problem with this page
Source: parliament.lk, checkedPresidency of Sri Lanka in plain words
- What it's for
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The President is the directly elected head of state and head of government of Sri Lanka, leads the Cabinet and commands the armed forces. The President is elected for five years and may serve at most two terms.
Next vote
- Must be held by August 2029 (no fixed date) General election · President of Sri Lanka
Who sits on it
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President of Sri Lanka
Elected
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake President of Sri Lanka · since September 2024
Sourced · checked : show the source for each fact
Sources for who sits on it
- President of Sri Lanka parliament.lk · checked
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake as President of Sri Lanka en.wikipedia.org · checked
What it can do
- Head of State, executive and armed forces
The President is Head of State, Head of the Executive and Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (Constitution, Article 30(1)); the President chairs the Cabinet (Article 42 and 43).
- Appoint the Prime Minister and ministers
Appoints as Prime Minister the Member of Parliament most likely to command the confidence of Parliament, and appoints other ministers on the Prime Minister's advice (Articles 43 and 44).
- Summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament
Summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament; dissolution is not allowed until Parliament has run two and a half years unless it asks for it (Article 70).
- Appoint judges and provincial governors
Appoints the Chief Justice and Supreme Court judges on the Constitutional Council's approval (Articles 107, 41A) and provincial Governors (Article 154B(2)).
Sourced · checked : show the source for each fact
Sources for what it can do
- Head of State, executive and armed forces parliament.lk · checked
- Appoint the Prime Minister and ministers parliament.lk · checked
- Summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament parliament.lk · checked
- Appoint judges and provincial governors parliament.lk · checked
Sources
- parliament.lk · checked Parliament of Sri Lanka, Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (consolidated), read 2026-10-12: existence, structure and powers of the Presidency, Cabinet, Parliament, Supreme Court and provincial Governors. For: Presidency of Sri Lanka
- parliament.lk · checked Constitution of Sri Lanka, read 2026-10-12; provincial council status from news (Newsfirst 18 Aug 2025; Cabinet spokesman 25 Aug 2026: elections need legislation and delimitation in 2026). For: What it's for
- parliament.lk · checked Constitution of Sri Lanka, article cited in each description, read 2026-10-12. For: Head of State, executive and armed forces, Appoint the Prime Minister and ministers, Summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament, Appoint judges and provincial governors
- parliament.lk · checked Parliament of Sri Lanka, Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (consolidated), read 2026-10-12: how each office is chosen (Arts. 30-31, 43-44, 64, 96-99A, 107, 154B). Ministry names from the Directory of Members listing. For: President of Sri Lanka
- en.wikipedia.org · checked Fallback: Wikipedia (Anura Kumara Dissanayake; Harini Amarasuriya), read 2026-10-12, because the Presidential Secretariat and PM Office pages did not list swearing-in dates; Parliament's Directory lists Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Prime Minister. For: Anura Kumara Dissanayake as President of Sri Lanka
- parliament.lk · checked Constitution Arts. 30-31, 62(2), 70: dates derived as legal latest dates (not announced). First sitting of the 10th Parliament 21 Nov 2024; president took office 23 Sep 2024. For: General election, August 22, 2029