Friday, 1 May 2015 00:00
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The United States on Wednesday welcomed Sri Lanka’s constitutional reforms to limit the powers of executive presidency and restore democracy.
The acting spokesperson of the State Department Marie Harf, at the daily news briefing on Wednesday, said that the United States welcomes the passage of measures that curb presidential powers as part of the Sri Lankan Government’s domestic reform agenda.
The Sri Lankan Parliament on Tuesday, with an overwhelming majority, passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that will limit the president’s terms to two five-year terms and slash the unlimited executive powers the former presidents since 1978 enjoyed.
When asked whether the US was satisfied with the pace of reforms that were taking place in Sri Lanka, Harf said the US welcomed the reforms.
“Well, we certainly welcome the news of the passage of measures that you mentioned that curb presidential powers as part of the Government’s domestic reform agenda. [That’s] Certainly something we welcome,” she said.
