President of Sri Lanka

The president of Sri Lanka ( Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi; Ilankai janātipati) is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union government and the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. Origin Under the Soulbury Constitution which consisted of the Ceylon Independence Act, 1947 and The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Orders in Council 1947, Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known then) became a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The monarch of Ceylon served as the head of state, represented by the governor-general with the prime minister serving as the head of government. The governor-general replaced the position of the Governor of British Ceylon who exercised executive control over the entire island since 1815. In 1972, the new Republican Constitution declared Sri Lanka a republic, and Sri Lanka was no longer a constitutional monarchy. The governor-general was replaced by the office of President of Sri Lanka. The president was a mostly ceremonial head of state, with real power vested in the prime minister.