MPs scrap their pensions

Sri Lankan legislators overwhelmingly voted to scrap their pensions in a bid to fulfill a key pre-election campaign promise by the ruling government

Lawmakers passed the bill by 154 votes in the 225-member House, with only two against.

The remaining legislators were absent for the vote.

In Sri Lanka, a lawmaker was previously entitled to a pension after serving a five-year term.

The new law stops payments to anyone who already receives, or qualifies for, the pension. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, elected in 2024, pledged to end the practice during his campaign.

In a similar move, Dissanayake’s government abolished perks for former presidents in September in response to public demand. Those included state funding for housing, allowances, pensions, and transport. An office and a staff for former presidents and their widows were also scrapped. There are currently five living past presidents and a widow.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara presented the bill in parliament, saying an election promise had been fulfilled and that lawmakers had no moral right to receive a pension at a time when the country was struggling to emerge from its worst economic crisis.