The Wijetunga cabinet was the central government of Sri Lanka led by President D. B. Wijetunga between 1993 and 1994. It was formed in May 1993 after the assassination of Wijetunga's predecessor Ranasinghe Premadasa and it ended in November 1994 when Wijetunga chose not to contest in the 1994 presidential election. The Wijetunga cabinet saw Sri Lanka's first cohabitation government following the opposition People's Alliance's victory in the 1994 general election.

Wijetunga cabinet

12th Cabinet of Sri Lanka
Date formed1 May 1993
Date dissolved12 November 1994
People and organisations
Head of stateD. B. Wijetunga
Head of governmentD. B. Wijetunga
Deputy head of governmentRanil Wickremesinghe (1993–94)
Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994)
No. of ministers5
Total no. of members5
Member party
  •   United National Party (1993–94)
  •   People's Alliance (1994)
Status in legislatureMajority government
125 / 225 (56%)
(1993-94)
Majority coalition
121 / 225 (54%)
(1994)
Opposition party
Opposition leaderSirimavo Bandaranaike (1993–94)
Gamini Dissanayake (1994)
Ranil Wickremesinghe (1994)
History
Election1994 parliamentary
Outgoing election1994 presidential
Legislature terms9th, 10th
PredecessorPremadasa
SuccessorKumaratunga

Cabinet members

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UNP government (1993–1994)

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Name Portrait Party Office Took office Left office Refs
D. B. Wijetunga United National Party President 7 May 1993[a] 12 November 1994 [1]
Minister of Finance [b] 31 August 1994 [2]
Minister of Buddhist Affairs [3][4]
Minister of Defence 7 May 1993 12 November 1994 [3][4]
Ranil Wickremesinghe   United National Party Prime Minister 7 May 1993 19 August 1994 [5]
A. C. S. Hameed United National Party Minister of Justice [b] August 1993 [6]
Minister of Foreign Affairs August 1993 [6]
Harold Herath United National Party Minister of Foreign Affairs [b] August 1993 [6]
Minister of Justice August 1993 [6]
W. J. M. Lokubandara   United National Party Minister of Cultural Affairs and Information [b] August 1993 [6]
Minister of Education and Higher Education August 1993 [6]

SLFP government (1994)

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Name Portrait Party Office Took office Left office Refs
Chandrika Kumaratunga   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Prime Minister 19 August 1994 12 November 1994 [5][7]
Minister of Ethnic Affairs and National Integration 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Minister of Finance and Planning 19 August 1994 [c] [2][3][4]
M. H. M. Ashraff Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Minister of Shipping, Ports and Rehabilitation 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Srimanee Athulathmudali Democratic United National Front Minister of Transport, Highways, Environment and Women's Affairs 19 August 1994 [3][4][8][9]
Sirimavo Bandaranaike   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister Without Portfolio 19 August 1994 [3][4][10]
Nimal Siripala de Silva Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Housing, Construction and Public Utilities 19 August 1994 [3][4]
S. B. Dissanayake   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Youth, Sport and Rural Development 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Amarasiri Dodangoda Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Home Affairs, Local Government and Co-operatives 19 August 1994 [3][4]
A. H. M. Fowzie   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Health and Social Services 19 August 1994 [3][4]
C. V. Gunaratne Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Industrial Development 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Indika Gunawardena Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Lakshman Jayakody Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs 19 August 1994 [3][4]
D. M. Jayaratne Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Agriculture, Land and Forestry Conservation 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Lakshman Kadirgamar   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Foreign Affairs 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Richard Pathirana Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Education and Higher Education 19 August 1994 [3][4]
G. L. Peiris   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Mahinda Rajapaksa   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Labour and Vocational Training 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Anuruddha Ratwatte Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Irrigation, Power and Energy 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Mangala Samaraweera   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Posts and Telecommunications 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Dharmasiri Senanayake Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Information, Tourism and Aviation 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Bernard Soysa Lanka Sama Samaja Party Minister of Science Development and Human Resources Development 19 August 1994 [3][4]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake   Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Public Administration and Plantation Affairs 19 August 1994 [3][4][11]
Kingsley Wickramasinghe Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food 19 August 1994 [3][4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Wijetunga was acting president from 1 May 1993 to 7 May 1993.[1]
  2. ^ a b c d Continuation of same office held in previous cabinet.
  3. ^ Continued to hold same office in next cabinet.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Heads of State". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. ^ a b "List of Ministers and Deputy Ministers". Ministry of Finance.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "The New Cabinet" (PDF). Tamil Times. XIII (8): 4. 15 August 1994. ISSN 0266-4488.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "The Cabinet" (PDF). The Sri Lanka Monitor (79): 2. August 1994.
  5. ^ a b "Prime Ministers". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Sebastian, Rita (15 August 1993). "One Hundred Days of Wijetunge's Presidency" (PDF). Tamil Times. XII (8): 4. ISSN 0266-4488.
  7. ^ Gooneratne, John (1 January 2002). "The roadblocks are gone: That's the easier part". The Island.
  8. ^ Wickrematunge, Raisa (28 February 2010). "For Better Or For Worse…". The Sunday Leader.
  9. ^ "Srimani Athulathmudali dies". TamilNet. 1 December 2004.
  10. ^ Thilakarathne, Indeewara (4 March 2007). "Glimpse of History from ANCL Archives : Sirimavo R. D. Bandaranaike – an outstanding stateswoman". Sunday Observer.
  11. ^ Sambandan, V. S. (22 November 2005). "Ratnasiri Wickremanayake appointed Sri Lankan Premier". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012.