Centre for Policy Alternatives

An amendment to extend the retirement age of superior court judges would fundamentally alter the established understanding that constitutional provisions governing judicial tenure are general, prospective, and impersonal.

Departing from this norm to enact a measure that benefits an incumbent office-holder transforms a constitutional mechanism into an instrument of personalisation. This damages not only the independence of the individual office but also the integrity of the institution as a whole.

Read the full Statement Here:
https://www.cpalanka.org/cpa-statement-on-reports-of-a-constitutional-amendment-to-extend-the-term-of-office-of-the-chief-justice/

The pledge to abolish the executive presidency was not a marginal or incidental promise. It was a central plank of the NPP’s political programme, reflecting a widely shared recognition across Sri Lankan society that the overcentralisation of power in a single office has not only historically contributed to democratic erosion, weakened institutional checks and balances, and facilitated abuses of authority, but that it was a core cause of the national insolvency crisis in 2022. This was encapsulated in the Aragalaya slogan of “system change.” Successive political movements, including the NPP after the Aragalaya, have rightly identified the repeal and replacement of the 1978 Constitution as essential to restoring public trust and strengthening governance.

Read the full statement Here
https://www.cpalanka.org/cpa-statement-on-the-governments-retreat-from-its-commitment-to-abolish-the-executive-presidency/