: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November
2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005
(next to be held in 2011)
election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of
vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other
1.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on
the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by
electoral district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%,
TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by
party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC
dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2,
NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [G.PONNAMBALAM]; Ceylon Workers
Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D.
GUNASEKERA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas
DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF
[Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa
AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA];
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D.
GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA];
National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation
Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka
Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO
[Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.
SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.
ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil
WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai
PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); Tamil
Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or Karu