Tag: politics

September 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan ministers on Thursday denied that the president now enjoyed dictatorial powers under a post-war constitutional revamp, but observers worried about the chilling effect on democracy. The national parliament voted in favour of the 18th amendment to the 1978 constitution on Wednesday, scrapping a two-term limit on the presidency […]

Sept 08, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s parliament has changed the constitution, lifting term limits for the president with 161 votes or 11 seats more than a two-thirds majority with several opposition lawmakers also crossing over. The constitution change which also nullifies an earlier change to improve rule of law with a more independent public […]

September 7, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s parliament will vote Wednesday on constitutional reforms enabling President Mahinda Rajapakse to seek a third term, in changes critics say point to the country’s slide into autocracy. Under the proposed amendments, the two-term limit will be scrapped, allowing the populist Rajapakse, who was resoundingly re-elected for the second […]

September 7, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Mahinda Rajapakse to run for a third term in office, saying the constitution can be changed by a vote in parliament, officials said Tuesday. Rajapakse, who oversaw the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels last year after decades of civil […]

Sept 06, 2010 (LBO) – Civil society organization representing several interest groups in Sri Lanka have come out against proposed changes to the constitution as a move that will further destroy democratic values and individual freedom. “Until the people understand these two basic principles Sri Lanka will only have fascist nationalism by majority vote (also […]

Sept 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main English weeklies have slammed a proposed change to the country’s constitution as the latest in a long list of moves by rulers to destroy individual liberties and break remaining democratic institutions. The constitutional change will see the term limits for the President currently set at two being […]

August 31, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday began assessing a draft bill that would amend the island’s constitution to allow President Mahinda Rajapakse to run for office for a third term. Registrar of the Supreme Court said the five-judge bench would give their decision to the president and speaker of parliament […]

August 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet on Monday backed changing the constitution to allow President Mahinda Rajapakse to run for office for a third term, opening the way for a vote in parliament. Rajapakse, who oversaw the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels last year after decades of civil war, has a firm […]

SYDNEY, August 22, 2010 (AFP) – Australia was in political limbo Sunday after voters punished Prime Minister Julia Gillard for deposing her predecessor two months ago, leaving the nation facing its first hung parliament in 70 years. Both sides targeted marginal seats in resource-rich Queensland and western Sydney, where rapid population growth has put pressure […]

SYDNEY, August 21, 2010 (AFP) – Australia faced the “more and more likely” prospect of a hung parliament Saturday, with neither the government nor the opposition looking assured of an election majority, party officials said. Australia has not had a hung parliament since 1940, in the midst of World War II, but the election was […]

August 19, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka said Thursday he expects the government to put him behind bars to end his political career after a court martial convicted him. Fonseka, who led troops to victory in the island’s 37-year ethnic conflict last year, said the government was seeking revenge for […]

REYKJAVIK, August 19, 2010 (AFP) – After Iceland’s near-economic collapse laid bare deep-seated corruption, the country aims to become a safe haven for journalists and whistleblowers from around the globe by creating the world’s most far-reaching freedom of information legislation. The project, developed with the help of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, flies in the face […]