Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing a republican form of government. The Constitution adopted in 1978 was the third constitution since independence from the United Kingdom. Under this type of government, Sri Lanka has three branches of government. A presidential system headed by a president is responsible to parliament which is a unicameral legislative branch. The other branch of government in Sri Lanka is the judiciary. The 1978 Constitution guarantees many fundamental rights or freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom to engage in lawful activity, freedom to travel, legal protection and many others. There is an amendment process that requires a vote of two-thirds of the population. However, this process appears to be manipulated by narrow-minded extremists who have contributed to violence and ethnic divisions. Sri Lanka has two major political parties. These two parties are the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The UNP is the conservative party. UNP members are often educated in the English language. The UNP believes in parliamentary democracy, the private property economy and Sri Lankan nationalism. The SLFP is considered the socialist party. The SLFP favors a government-owned economy, as well as Sinhalese nationalism and equality. Sri Lanka also has many minor political parties. The President of Sri Lanka is elected for a six-year term. The current president is Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was elected in 2005 and is the sixth president of Sri Lanka. William Gopallawa was the first president before gaining independence in 1972. He remained in office until 1978. Junius Richard Jayewardene introduced the executive presidency in 1978. He ran until 1989. Ranasi.. .... middle of paper ...... I have served six terms. The number of votes each party receives corresponds to the number of seats it obtains. The next election will be held in April 2016. The Legislative Assembly has bylaws which are rules that are directed by the members and are followed to govern the meeting. Meetings are spoken in three languages. They are spoken in Sinhala, Tamil and English. At these meetings, the president, the vice-president, the vice-president of the committees and six other members may be appointed by the selection committee. All of these people are present at every meeting. The general secretary is the person who ensures that meetings remain focused and that everything is discussed. The general secretary assists the speakers and tells them what to talk about next. The President of Sri Lanka is under the control of Parliament. The legislature can impeach the president by a two-thirds vote.