Sri Lanka's Parliament voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to abolish a range of state-provided perks for former presidents, in a move lawmakers said responded to public demand following large protests over the country's economic crisis.
The measure passed 151-1 while other members were absent. It removes state funding for housing, allowances, pensions, transport facilities and an office and staff for former presidents and their widows. There are five living former presidents and one widow affected by the change, lawmakers said.
Lawmakers and officials characterized the vote as fulfillment of an election pledge by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning leader who took office last year after campaigning on a platform of reform and accountability. The decision followed public resentment that intensified after Sri Lanka's 2022 economic collapse, when the country announced it could not pay its foreign debt and faced severe shortages of food, medicine, fuel and electricity.
The 2022 crisis sparked mass protests that culminated in the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The political fallout from the economic emergency has continued to shape policy and public debate, with successive leaders confronting demands for greater transparency and reduced privileges for political figures.
The parliamentary action also comes amid separate legal and political developments involving other recent leaders. Former President and then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on allegations of misusing public funds while in office and was granted bail on Aug. 27, authorities said. Lawmakers cited this broader climate of scrutiny when debating the perks measure.
Supporters of the bill argued that abolishing special benefits for ex-presidents and their surviving spouses would help restore public trust and reduce state expenditure on privileges seen as out of step with ordinary citizens' hardships. Opponents, limited in number, did not block the legislation and most members of Parliament were not present for the final vote.
Parliamentary officials said the change is aimed at aligning state entitlements with public expectations after a prolonged period of economic hardship and political unrest. The measure reflects a series of actions by the government intended to respond to demands made during widespread street protests and to address perceptions of elite privilege.
The law's immediate administrative effects and whether any transitional provisions will be applied to living former presidents and the widow were not detailed in the parliamentary statement. Officials did not specify a timeline for implementation or outline how existing benefits would be phased out.