Functions of the President
The president of Sri Lanka holds the most important national office and is accountable to the parliament. Major functions of the president include:

• Appoints the prime minister with the approval of the parliament
• Select members of cabinet in consultation with the prime minister and also presides over their deliberations
• The president can dissolve parliament at any point of time and call for fresh elections.
• Declarations of war and peace in Sri Lanka
• During a public emergency the president can enact measures without parliamentary approval.

The president of Sri Lanka at present is Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Judiciary
Headed by a Chief Justice, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka consists between six to eight associate justices. The president appoints the justices of the Supreme Court and High Court. The grounds under which superior court justices can be removed are incompetence or misconduct. Justice of the High Court can only be removed by a Judicial Service Commission comprising of Supreme Court Justices. The Supreme Court has the authority of judicial review and can also order a referendum on special issues concerning national significance.

This article gives an overview of the political system of Sri Lanka. For more information, browse through 123independenceday.com .