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List of presidents of Sri Lanka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The president of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the chief executive of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The president is a dominant political figure in the country. The office was created in 1972, as more of a ceremonial position. It was empowered with executive powers by the 1978 Constitution introduced by J. R. Jayewardene.

Presidents

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Parties

  Independent (1)   United National Party (4)   Sri Lanka Freedom Party (3)   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (1)   National People's Power (1)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Home province
Term of office
Electoral mandates
Time in office
Other ministerial offices
held while president
Party
(Alliance)
Government Ref.
1 William Gopallawa
William Gopallawa
විලියම් ගොපල්ලව
வில்லியம் கோபள்ளவா
(1896–1981)
Central
22 May
1972
4 February
1978
Independent Sirimavo Bandaranaike II 10th [1]
5 years, 8 months and 13 days
Served as the last Governor-General of Ceylon and the first (non-executive) President when Ceylon declared itself a republic in 1972, and changed its name to Sri Lanka.
2 J. R Jayawardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene
ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන
ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா
(1906–1996)
Western
4 February
1978
2 January
1989
Minister of Defence
Minister of Planning & Economic Affairs
Minister of Plan Implementation
Minister of Higher Education
United National Party Jayewardene 11th
12th
[1]
1982
10 years, 11 months and 29 days
Introduced the Executive Presidency in 1978, and assumed the position of president of Sri Lanka.[2]
3 Ranasinghe Premadasa
Sri Lankabhimanya
Ranasinghe Premadasa
රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස
ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா
(1924–1993)
Western
2 January
1989
1 May
1993†
Minister of Defence
Minister of Buddha Sasana
Minister of Policy Planning & Implementation
United National Party Premadasa 13th [1]
1988
4 years and 4 months
Assassinated during a May Day rally by an LTTE suicide bomber.
4 Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Sri Lankabhimanya
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග
டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க
(1916–2008)
Central
1 May
1993
7 May
1993
Minister of Defence
Minister of Finance
Minister of Buddhist Affairs
United National Party Wijetunga I 13th [1]
7 May
1993
12 November
1994
1993[N 1] Wijetunga II 14th
1 year, 6 months and 10 days
Prime Minister at the time of Premadasa's assassination. Appointed as acting president and continued in that capacity until 7 May 1993 when he was elected by Parliament to the office of president under Article 40 of the Constitution.
5 Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
චන්ද්‍රිකා කුමාරතුංග
சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்கே குமாரதுங்கா
(born 1945)
Western
12 November
1994
19 November
2005
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
(PA)
Kumaratunga 14th
15th
[1]
1994, 1999 16th
11 years and 7 days 17th
The first non-UNP president of the country. Appointed her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, to succeed her as prime minister. Victim of multiple assassination attempts by the LTTE, all of which were unsuccessful.
6 Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ
மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ
(born 1945)
Southern
19 November
2005
9 January
2015
Minister of Defence
Minister of Finance
Minister of Law & Order
Minister of Highways, Ports & Shipping
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
(UPFA)
Mahinda Rajapaksa 17th
18th
[1]
2005, 2010
9 years, 1 month and 21 days
Ended the 25-year-long Sri Lankan Civil War and LTTE insurgency in the country. Alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, various infrastructure development projects, feud with Sarath Fonseka, introduced the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, impeached Shirani Bandaranayake. Defeated in 2015.
7 Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Sirisena
මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන
மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன
(born 1951)
North Central
9 January
2015
18 November
2019
Minister of Defence
Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment
Sri Lanka Freedom Party[N 2] Sirisena I 18th [1]
2015 Sirisena II 19th
4 years, 10 months and 9 days Sirisena IV
Defeated Rajapaksa in his unprecedented bid for a third term. Ran as a candidate of the New Democratic Front and was mainly backed by the UNP. 19th Amendment to the Constitution. 100-day reform program. Reinstated Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice. Promoted Sarath Fonseka to the rank of Field Marshal. Failed to act on intelligence of the 2019 Easter bombings.
8 Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ
கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ
(born 1949)
Southern[3]
18 November
2019
14 July
2022
Minister of Defence
Minister of Technology
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
(SLPFA)
Rajapaksa I 19th [1]
2019 Rajapaksa II 20th
Rajapaksa III
2 years, 7 months and 26 days Rajapaksa IV
Appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. Amassed extensive presidential powers through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Economic mismanagement led the country to an economic crisis, and a subsequent political crisis, when he refused to resign in response to massive anti-government protests. Reappointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister in May 2022, following Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation. Resigned on 14 July, after fleeing the country the day before, designating Wickremesinghe as acting president.[4][5][6][7]
9 Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe
රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ
ரணில் விக்ரமசிங்க
(born 1949)
Western
14 July
2022
20 July
2022
Minister of Defence
Minister of Technology
Minister of Finance
Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment
United National Party Wickremesinghe 20th [8]
20 July
2022
23 September
2024
2022[N 1]
2 years, 2 months and 9 days
Appointed as acting president following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country amidst the 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis.[9] On 20 July 2022 he was elected by Parliament to the office of president under Article 40 of the Constitution.
10 Anura Kumara Dissanayake Anura Kumara Dissanayake
අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක
அநுர குமார திசாநாயக்க
(born 1968)
Western
23 September
2024
Incumbent Minister of Energy
Minister of Defence
Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Policy Formulation, Planning and Tourism
Minister of Agriculture, Land, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
(NPP)
Dissanayake 20th
2024
20 days
Defeated Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe in a three-way contest.

Timeline

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Anura Kumara DissanayakeRanil WickremesingheGotabaya RajapaksaMaithripala SirisenaMahinda RajapaksaChandrika KumaratungaDingiri Banda WijetungaRanasinghe PremadasaJunius Richard JayewardeneWilliam Gopallawa

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Indirect election by parliarment.
  2. ^ Elected as a New Democratic Front candidate.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Heads of State". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Former Sri Lanka president dies, leaves mixed legacy". CNN. 1 November 1996. Retrieved 4 October 2008.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Presidential candidates cast their votes". News First. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  4. ^ Pathi, Krutika (13 July 2022). "Thousands protest against Sri Lanka's new acting president". Associated Press. Colombo. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled on a military jet on Wednesday after angry protesters seized his home and office, and appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president while he is overseas.
  5. ^ Marian, Teena (14 July 2022). "Speaker yet to receive GRs resignation". News First. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  6. ^ Jayasinghe, Uditha (14 July 2022). "Sri Lanka awaits president's resignation after flight". Reuters. Colombo. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Sri Lanka Crisis LIVE Updates: Gotabaya Rajapaksa steps down as president, emails resignation letter to parliament speaker". Times Of India. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  8. ^ Gunasekara, Skandha; Schmall, Emily; Mashal, Mujib (14 July 2022). "Sri Lanka's President Resigns After Months of Protest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe sworn in as acting president - govt official". Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
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General