Sri Lanka passes constitutional amendment aimed at trimming presidential powers

Security personel patrol in a boat in the premises of the Parliament building, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 16, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka's parliament on Friday passed a constitutional amendment aimed at trimming presidential powers, beefing up anti-corruption safeguards and helping to find a way out of the country's worst financial crisis since independence.

Sri Lanka has struggled for months to find enough dollars to pay for essential imports such as fuel, food, cooking gas and medicine.