Executive President has onerous responsibilities

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Development - Provincial

Executive President has onerous responsibilities

December 04, 2014

UPFA Vice President and Minister for Irrigation and Water Resources Management Nimal Siripala de Silva stated that an Executive President elected by the people cannot act on his own free will. The post of Executive President will not be vacant though the common candidate states so to obtain political mileage and also to mislead members of the United National Party.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva expressed these views at a press conference held on Wednesday (03) at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Headquarters.

Maithripala Sirisena has stated that if he comes to power he would appoint Ranil Wickremasinghe as the Executive Prime Minister under the provisions of the 37^th clause of the Constitution. But this is not practical.

What is stated in the 37^th clause is a Prime Minister can be bestowed executive power only in a case of illness of the Executive President or on an occasion he leaves the country. Even if the common candidate becomes the Executive President the powers of the Prime Minister should be given to the present Prime Minister D.M.Jayarathna. In case the Prime Minister is not able to accept the appointment it should then be given to Chamal Rajapaksa who is again another Rajapaksa. Members of the SLFP are not prepared to offer the Executive Premiership to Ranil on a platter, he added.

Minister for Plantation Industries Mahinda Samarasinghe and Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma were also present.(NJ/KH)