Sri Lanka parliament votes to end privileges for former presidents

Colombo, Sep 10 (PTI) The Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday voted 151-1 in favour of a bill to strip privileges for former presidents, one of the popular pre-election pledges by the incumbent NPP government.

The bill titled ‘Presidents’ Entitlement (Repeal) Act No 18 of 2025' to repeal the Presidents’ Entitlement Act No 4 of 1986 has thus become a law, a day after the Supreme Court ruled that the bill can be approved in parliament by a simple majority.

The ruling National People's Power (NPP) government presented the bill for its second reading on Wednesday.

Explaining the law, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told the House that while the former presidents would not lose their pension rights, all other privileges granted to them such as a state mansion, official transport, the secretarial staff would be stripped off.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the bill to withdraw presidential privileges extended to all former presidents and widows can be approved in parliament with just a simple majority.

The Supreme Court thus overruled an attempt by the former Presidents Rajapaksas’ party, the Sri Lanka People's Front, commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), to thwart the bill by challenging its constitutionality.

The court's ruling was read out in Parliament on Tuesday by Speaker Jagath Wickremaratna.

“The Supreme Court has determined that no provision of the bill is inconsistent with any provision of the Constitution and can be enacted by Parliament with a simple majority,” he said.

The move to strip privileges for former presidents that were in practice since 1986 was a popular pledge made by the ruling NPP government in their election manifestos last year.

The country currently has five living former presidents and a widow of another. Only three of them were availing the facilities when the government introduced the bill in parliament. PTI CORR NPK NPK