Constitutional Reforms
19th Amendment to the Constitution (2015): Curtailed the powers of the Executive Presidency, restored independent commissions, and established the Constitutional Council to oversee high-level appointments.
20th Amendment to the Constitution (2020): Reversed many of the democratic checks introduced by the 19th Amendment, significantly expanding executive presidential powers and replacing the Constitutional Council with a weaker Parliamentary Council.
21st Amendment to the Constitution (2022): Enacted during the height of the economic and political crisis to reverse the 20th Amendment. It restored the Constitutional Council and strengthened the independence of key democratic institutions.
Governance, Transparency, and Anti-Corruption
Right to Information (RTI) Act, No. 12 of 2016: A landmark piece of legislation granting citizens the legal right to access information held by public authorities, designed to foster government transparency and accountability.
Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023: A comprehensive overhaul of the country's bribery and corruption laws. It introduced stricter penalties, expanded the jurisdiction of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), and incorporated offenses related to private sector corruption.
Digital, Data, and Media Regulation
Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022: Sri Lanka’s first comprehensive legislation regulating the processing of personal data. It established the Data Protection Authority and outlined the rights of data subjects and the obligations of data controllers.
Online Safety Act, No. 9 of 2024: A highly debated law aimed at regulating online content. It established an Online Safety Commission and introduced penalties for the spread of false, prohibited, or malicious statements on the internet.
Economic and Financial Sector Reforms
Inland Revenue Act, No. 24 of 2017: A major overhaul of the tax system aimed at simplifying the tax code, broadening the tax base, and removing ad hoc tax exemptions.
Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017: Replaced the Exchange Control Act of 1953, liberalizing foreign exchange transactions to encourage foreign direct investment.
Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act, No. 11 of 2021: Established a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and a powerful, dedicated commission to administer and regulate the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023: Granted greater autonomy to the Central Bank. It explicitly separated monetary policy from fiscal policy to prevent the excessive monetary financing (money printing) that contributed to the 2022 economic crisis.
Economic Transformation Act (2024): Introduced to legally bind current and future governments to the structural economic reforms, debt sustainability targets, and fiscal policies agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Public Financial Management Act (2024): Designed to strengthen fiscal discipline, improve public debt management, and ensure strict transparency and accountability in government spending.
Transitional Justice and Human Rights
Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Act, No. 14 of 2016: Established an independent body to trace and investigate the fate of thousands of individuals who went missing during the civil war and prior insurgencies.
Enforced Disappearances (International Convention) Act, No. 5 of 2018: Criminalized enforced disappearances under domestic law, giving effect to Sri Lanka’s obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Office for Reparations Act, No. 34 of 2018: Created a mechanism to formulate and implement policies on granting formal reparations to victims of the conflict and other periods of political violence.
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