List of prime ministers of Sri Lanka

There have been fifteen prime ministers of Sri Lanka since the creation of the position in 1947, prior to the independence of the country (then known as Ceylon). The prime minister of Ceylon was the head of the government until 1972. In 1972, the country was renamed as the Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka, and the position was known as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from then onwards. The prime minister also held the unified Ministry of External Affairs and Defence until 1977, when the government of J. R. Jayewardene split the ministry into two ministries, forming the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1978, after Jayewardene became the president, new constitutional changes were introduced. The position of the executive president was introduced, resulting in the powers of the prime minister being reduced. The president became the head of state and chief executive,[1] and the prime minister became a weak head of government.[2]

Under the current constitution of Sri Lanka, the prime minister is the leader of the Cabinet business and also functions as a deputy to the president. In the event a president dies in office, the prime minister becomes the acting president until the Parliament convenes to elect a successor or new elections can be held to elect a new president. Such was the case in 1993, when President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated and Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga took office as president.[3]

On 28 April 2015, the Parliament approved the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka which gives the power of the government to the prime minister, while the president remains the head of state, head of the Cabinet, and commander-in-chief.[4]

Of the fifteen prime ministers who have held the office since the introduction of the position in 1947, one has held the office four times, two have held office thrice, and two have held office twice. Six prime ministers have gone on to become president of the country.[5]

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as prime minister the most times in the country's history, on six occasions (May 1993, December 2001, January 2015, August 2015, December 2018 and May 2022),[6][7] whilst Dudley Shelton Senanayaka and Sirimavo Bandaranayake have each been appointed three times. Mahinda Rajapaksa is the only prime minister who was suspended from his duties by the Supreme Court,[8][9][10] becoming the first de facto prime minister of Sri Lanka in 2018.

List of prime ministers

Parties

  United National Party (7)   Sri Lanka Freedom Party (6)   Sinhala Bhasha Peramuna (1)   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (1)   Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1)   National People's Power (1)

List of prime ministers by length of term

No. Name Party No. of terms Length of term
Longest continuous term Total years of premiership
1 Sirimavo Bandaranaike SLFP 3 7 years, 55 days 17 years and 204 days
2 Ranasinghe Premadasa UNP 1 10 years, 331 days 10 years, 331 days
3 Ranil Wickremesinghe UNP 5 3 years, 290 days 8 years and 191 days
4 Dudley Senanayake UNP 3 5 years, 65 days 7 years, 20 days
5 Ratnasiri Wickremanayake SLFP 2 4 years, 153 days 5 years, 270 days
6 D. M. Jayaratne SLFP 1 4 years, 263 days 4 years, 263 days
7 D. S. Senanayake UNP 1 4 years, 180 days 4 years, 180 days
8 Mahinda Rajapaksa SLFP, SLPP 3 2 years, 169 days 4 years and 80 days
9 Dingiri Banda Wijetunga UNP 1 4 years, 62 days 4 years, 62 days
10 S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike SLFP 1 3 years, 167 days 3 years, 167 days
11 Dinesh Gunawardena MEP 1 2 years, 63 days 2 years, 63 days
12 John Kotelawala UNP 1 1 year, 200 days 1 year, 200 days
13 J. R. Jayewardene UNP 1 196 days 196 days
14 Wijeyananda Dahanayake SBP 1 176 days 176 days
15 Chandrika Kumaratunga SLFP 1 85 days 85 days
16 Harini Amarasuriya NPP 1 53 days* 53 days*
Timeline
Harini AmarasuriyaDinesh GunawardenaMahinda RajapaksaD. M. JayaratneRatnasiri WickremanayakeChandrika KumaratungaRanil WickremesingheDingiri Banda WijetungaRanasinghe PremadasaJunius Richard JayewardeneSirimavo BandaranaikeWijeyananda DahanayakeS. W. R. D. BandaranaikeJohn KotelawalaDudley SenanayakeDon Stephen Senanayake

Relations between prime ministers

Out of the 16 distinct people to have held the office of Prime minister, 8 have come from three political families.

Relations Prime ministers Political family
Husband and wife S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Bandaranaike
Father and son D. S. Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake Senanayake
Father and daughter S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike
Mother and daughter Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike
Uncle and nephew D. S. Senanayake and John Kotelawala Senanayake
Cousins Dudley Senanayake and John Kotelawala Senanayake
First cousins once removed Junius Richard Jayewardene and Ranil Wickremesinghe Wijewardene

Living prime ministers

Living as of November 2024
Prime Minister Date of birth Premiership
Ranil Wickremesinghe (1949-03-24) 24 March 1949 (age 75) 1993–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2018, 2018–2019, 2022
Chandrika Kumaratunga (1945-06-29) 29 June 1945 (age 79) 1994–1994
Mahinda Rajapaksa (1945-11-18) 18 November 1945 (age 78) 2004–2005, 2018, 2019–2022,
Dinesh Gunawardena (1949-03-02) 2 March 1949 (age 75) 2022–2024
Harini Amarasuriya (1970-03-06) 6 March 1970 (age 54) 2024–present

See also

Notes

  1. The Parliament was known as the "House of Representatives" during the period of 1947–1972
  2. In 1972, the country was named "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka", and the Parliament was named as the National State Assembly.
  3. Under the constitutional changes of 1978, the country was renamed as the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka", and the Parliament was referred to as "Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".

References

General
Specific
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  4. ^ "Sri Lanka: 19A to the Constitution passed in parliament".
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  13. ^ Buddhika Kurukularatne (2007-06-19). "Dudley – the reluctant Prince" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
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  16. ^ "Short Term" Archived 26 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Time. 1959-12-14. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
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