Sri Lanka, Sept. 13 -- Sri Lanka needs a new Constitution that abolishes the Executive Presidency and establishes a parliamentary system with the Prime Minister at the centre of government, eminent legal expert and jurist Professor Savitri Goonesekere says.

Speaking at an event in Colombo, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo said constitutional reform should focus on correcting weaknesses in Sri Lanka's democratic system while strengthening the institutions that protect citizens' rights.

Professor Goonesekere cautioned against interpreting Sri Lanka's democratic shortcomings as a reason to abandon democracy itself.

"We must now recognise that even today, if we say there is a democratic deficit, our countries have us...