President of Sri Lanka
head of state and government
The president of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the chief executive. The president is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. 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.
President of Sri Lanka
changeUnder the 1972 Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka, the President of Sri Lanka replaced the Monarch as a ceremonial head of state. The president was elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the Prime Minister would serve as acting president.
In the 1978 Constitution, the presidency was made an executive post, otherwise all other the rules were the same as in the 1972 constitution.
- Status
Denotes Prime Minister acting as President
| № | Portrait | President (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Tenure | Political affiliation of president | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||||||
| Non-Executive President | |||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
William Gopallawa (1897–1981) |
– | 22 May 1972 | 4 February 1978 | Independent | |
| — | Stanley Tillekeratne | 22 May 1972 | 18 May 1977 | ||||
| — | Anandatissa de Alwis | 4 August 1977 | 4 August 1977 | ||||
| Executive President | |||||||
| 2 | .jpg)
|
J. R. Jayewardene (1906–1996) |
1982 | 4 February 1978 | 2 January 1989 | United National Party | |
| — | Abdul Bakeer Markar | 21 September 1978 | 21 September 1978 | ||||
| — | E. L. Senanayake | 6 September 1983 | 6 September 1983 | ||||
| 3 | 
|
Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) |
1988 | 2 January 1989 | 1 May 1993 (assassinated) |
United National Party | |
| — | M. H. Mohamed | 1 May 1993 | 1 May
1993 |
||||
| 4 | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) |
– | 1 May 1993 | 7 May 1993 | United National Party | ||
| 1993 | 7 May 1993 | 12 November 1994 | |||||
| — | Kiri Banda Ratnayake | 25 August 1994 | 25 August 1994 | ||||
| 5 | .jpg)
|
Chandrika Kumaratunga (born 1945) |
1994 1999 |
12 November 1994 | 19 November 2005 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (PA/UPFA) | |
| — | Anura Bandaranaike | 18 October 2000 | 18 October 2000 | ||||
| — | M. Joseph Michael Perera | 19 December 2001 | 19 December 2001 | ||||
| — | W. J. M. Lokubandara | 22 April 2004 | 22 April 2004 | ||||
| 6 | 
|
Mahinda Rajapaksa (born 1945) |
2005 2010 |
19 November 2005 | 9 January 2015 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA) | |
| — | Chamal Rajapaksa | 22 April 2010 | 22 April 2010 | ||||
| 7 | .jpg)
|
Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) |
2015 | 9 January 2015 | 18 November 2019 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA)[1] | |
| — | 
|
Karu Jayasuriya | 1 September 2015 | 1 September 2015 | |||
| 8 | 
|
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (born 1949) |
2019 | 18 November 2019 | 14 July 2022 (resigned) |
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPFA) | |
| 9 | Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (born 1945) |
— | 13 July 2022 | 14 July 2022 (resigned) |
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPFA) | ||
| 10 | 
|
Ranil Wickremesinghe (born 1949) |
– | 14 July 2022 | 20 July 2022 | United National Party | |
| 2022 | 20 July 2022 | Incumbent | |||||
| Name | Portrait | Party | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Tillekeratne | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 May 1972 – 18 May 1977 | ||
| Anandatissa de Alwis | United National Party | 4 August 1977 – 7 September 1978 | ||
| Anandatissa de Alwis | United National Party | 7 September 1978 – 13 September 1978 | ||
| Abdul Bakeer Markar | United National Party | 21 September 1978 – 30 August 1983 | ||
| E. L. Senanayake | 
|
United National Party | 6 September 1983 – 20 December 1988 | |
| M. H. Mohamed | United National Party | 9 March 1989 – 24 June 1994 | ||
| Kiri Banda Ratnayake | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 25 August 1994 – 10 October 2000 | ||
| Name | Portrait | Party | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anura Bandaranaike | 
|
United National Party | 18 October 2000 – 10 October 2001 | |
| Name | Portrait | Party | Tenure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Joseph Michael Perera | 
|
United National Party | 19 December 2001 – 7 February 2004 | |||
| W. J. M. Lokubandara | 
|
United National Party | 22 April 2004 – 8 April 2010 | |||
| Chamal Rajapaksa | 
|
Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 April 2010 – 26 June 2015 | |||
| Karu Jayasuriya |
|
United National Party | 1 September 2015 – 2 March 2020 | |||
Acting of President of Sri Lankan
change| Name | Portrait | Party | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena | .JPG)
|
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 20 August 2020 – 20 August 202 | |
List of prime ministers
change| # | Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) Constituency/Title |
Term of office
|
Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg)
|
DS Senanayake (1883–1952) |
24 September 1947 |
22 March 1952 |
United National Party |
| 1947 | |||||
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) |
26 March 1952 |
12 October 1953 |
United National Party |
| 1952 | |||||
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Sir John Kotelawala (1897–1980) |
12 October 1953 |
12 April 1956 |
United National Party |
| — | |||||
| 4 | .jpg)
|
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) |
12 April 1956 |
26 September 1959 |
Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| 1956 | |||||
| 5 | 
|
Wijeyananda Dahanayake (1902–1997) |
26 September 1959 |
20 March 1960 |
Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| — | |||||
| (2) |
|
Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) |
21 March 1960 |
21 July 1960 |
United National Party |
| March 1960 | |||||
| 6 | _(Hon.Sirimavo_Bandaranaike_with_Hon.Lalith_Athulathmudali_Crop).jpg)
|
Sirimavo Bandaranayake (1916–2000) |
21 July 1960 |
25 March 1965 |
Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| July 1960 | |||||
| (2) |
|
Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) |
25 March 1965 |
29 May 1970 |
United National Party |
| 1965 | |||||
| (6) |
|
Sirimavo Bandaranayake (1916–2000) |
29 May 1970 |
22 May 1972 |
Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| 1970 | |||||
.jpg)
Related pages
changeReferences
change- ↑ Elected as a New Democratic Front candidate, with the support of the United National Party.