From 1948 to 1972, under the Ceylon Independence Act of 1947, the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
was the
Monarch of the United Kingdom who was represented in Ceylon by a
Governor-General. Ceylon became a republic under the
Constitution of 1972 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. Since 1978, under the current
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
, the President has executive powers, becoming both head of state and government.
Monarch (1948–1972)
From 1948 to 1972 the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
of Ceylon was the same person as the
Monarch of the United Kingdom. The
Governor-General of Ceylon
The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.
History
There were four governors-general.
...
exercised the duties of the head of state.
Governors-General
President of Sri Lanka
Under the
1972 Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka, the President replaced the Monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
for a six-year term. In the event of a vacancy the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
served as
Acting President.
In 1978 Constitution the Presidency became an executive post, the rules was the same as the 1972 Constitution.
;Status
Standards
File:Flag of the Governor-General of Ceylon (1948–1952).svg, Governor-General's Standard (1948–1952)
File:Flag of the Governor-General of Ceylon (1953-1972).svg, Governor-General's Standard (1952–1972)
File:President Gopallawa's flag.gif, Presidential Standard of William Gopallawa
File:Junius Jayawardene's flag.gif, Presidential Standard of J. R. Jayewardene
File:Ranasinghe Premadasa's flag .gif, Presidential Standard of Ranasinghe Premadasa
File:DBWijethunge President Standard .jpg, Presidential Standard of Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
File:Presidential Flag of Chandrika Kumaratunga.gif, Presidential Standard of Chandrika Kumaratunga
File:Presidential Flag of Mahinda Rajapaksa.gif, Presidential Standard of Mahinda Rajapaksa
File:Presidential Standard of Sri Lanka (Maithripala Sirisena).svg, Presidential Standard of Maithripala Sirisena
File:Presidential Standard of Sri Lanka (Gotabaya Rajapaksa).gif, Presidential Standard of Gotabaya Rajapaksa
References
External links
World Statesmen – Sri Lanka
{{Heads of State of Sri Lanka
Government of Sri Lanka
H
*
Sri Lanka