 GOVERNMENT |
 The white House in Colombo |
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, gained independence from Britain on 4 February 1948. Its first republican constitution was adopted in 1972 and its current constitution on 16 August 1978. Sri Lanka has an executive president who is elected for a period of six years and has the power to appoint or dismiss members of the cabinet, including the prime minister, and to dissolve parliament. Members of the 225 seat unicameral parliament are elected by popular vote via a modified proportional representation system for a six-year term. | The country is divided into eight provinces: Central, North-Central, Northeastern, Northwestern, Sabaragamwa, Southern, Uva and Western. The legal system is based on a complex English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Singhalese and customary law. For details on the major political parties and their evolution, see the History section earlier in this chapter.
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