Sri Lankan cabinet clears plan to limit president’s power

Bloomberg

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the cabinet are putting in motion plans to reduce his wide-ranging powers as opponents gained momentum in their push to oust his family over mismanagement of the economy.
The cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa — the president’s brother — to return to the 19th amendment of the constitution “with necessary changes.”
The decision came hours after the president made public a letter to the country’s influential Buddhist clergy, saying he would support the process to clip his executive powers.
“As the President of the country, I am committed to stabilising democracy in the country,” Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in the letter, adding that “such an amendment should be made jointly by the President and Parliament.” The cabinet agreed to appoint a sub-committee to prepare a draft bill that “entrusts more powers to the parliament by further strengthening the democracy,” according to press statement.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will put forward a resolution in the legislature to appoint a parliament select committee to consider the government’s bill and other constitutional proposals submitted by political parties.
The decisions come after the main opposition party said they had garnered enough support for a no-confidence vote against the government. A simple majority of 113 lawmakers are needed to bring about such a motion and various opposition politicians and independent lawmakers have put the level of support
at 120 to 140 members of parliament.