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115-578: Vijaya Kumaranatunga founded the party in 1984 and led it until his assassination in 1988. His wife, Chandrika Kumaranatunga , led the party for a short time after his death. The SLMP supported the Provincial Council Act and ran against the United National Party (UNP) in 1988. The SLMP candidate, Ossie Abeygunasekera , placed third in that year's presidential election with 235,719 votes (4.63%). Abeygunasekara served as

230-496: A landslide defeat in the 2018 local authority elections . His party was only able to secure 34 councils out of 340 total councils. Mahinda Rajapaksa ’s proxy Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna won 231 councils. After the election defeat some MPs of UNP and party members asked Wickremesinghe to resign from the party leadership and prime minister position. Some media reported that President Maithripala Sirisena also urged Ranil Wickremesinghe Rajapaksa to resign from his position. On

345-532: A memorandum of understanding with the United People's Freedom Alliance in 2004. In the legislative elections on 2 April 2004, the United People's Freedom Alliance won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats. Dr Navarathne died on 1 May 2013, and his son, Asanka Nawaratne , the deputy general secretary of the party, succeeded him. This article about a Sri Lankan political party

460-537: A National List MP. In May 2022, Wickremesinghe was reappointed as prime minister amidst a political crisis. Following the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July 2022, Wickremesinghe became acting president and was subsequently elected as the 9th President of Sri Lanka by Parliament on 20 July 2022. He took office the following day. He attempted to run for a term in his own right in 2024 but failed to win reelection, finishing in third place with 17.27% of

575-720: A Singaporean firm CESMA, it proposed to build a large new city in the western province that can rival major cities in the world. However, the project did not proceed after the end of his government. He also requested the international community to assist in development during the ceasefire – the Tokyo Donor Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka was held in June 2003, during which Sri Lanka received more than 4.5 billion dollars in reconstruction and development aid. Wickremesinghe's foreign policy during his tenure as prime minister pushed closer relations with

690-523: A boost to the Sri Lankan economy and during the forum Soros decided to invest in Sri Lanka the initial investments were expected to be around $ 300 Million. He also launched a loan and grant scheme for small and medium enterprises named "Swa Shakthi" empower rural entrepreneurs and develop the rural economy. However, in 2017, during his tenure Sri Lanka recorded just 3.1% economic growth rate ,

805-523: A mansion at Rosmead Place, Colombo purchased by her paternal grandfather. Her father S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was an Oxford educated barrister who was the Minister of Local Administration at the time of her birth. A nationalist and left-wing politician, who had by the time built up a strong following known as the Sinhala Maha Sabha . He was the only son of Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranike ,

920-451: A new leader could be appointed. However, in late March the party working committee decided that he should remain as the party leader. Wickremesinghe was accused of being a dictator in UNP during his time as opposition leader. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thero said that Wickremesinghe was acting like a dictator. In 2010, UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara accused that within the constitution of

1035-467: A press conference held by the country's opposition coalition, following weeks of speculation regarding her involvement in the coalition's decision-making. She successfully endorsed Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate of the opposition in the 2015 presidential election, who defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa . In the same year, Kumaratunga supported the United National Party in the general elections to avoid Rajapaksa becoming prime minister. In 2015 she

1150-568: A scholarship from the Institute of French Studies. There she spent one year at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence following a course in the French language and culture. In 1968, she went on to study at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) graduating with a diploma in political science in 1970. She thereafter enrolled in a PhD program in development economics at

1265-578: A seat on the United Nations Security Council and entered to a "comprehensive partnership" with Japan covering political, economic and security issues. During his visit to Singapore, in an interview with The Straits Times he invited Singaporean submarines and frigates to visit Sri Lanka. In February 2015 CBSL advertised the sale of Rs. 1 billion in 30 year government bonds at a coupon of 12.5%, though several accounts erroneously cite an indicative rate of 9.5%. The sale

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1380-473: A series of provincial elections in 2008 and 2009 for 8 provincial councils (Eastern, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, North Western, Central, Western, Uva, and Southern). On all occasions, the ruling UPFA soundly defeated the UNP in a landslide victory. Out of all the elections, the UNP obtained only 30% of the total vote and UPFA won 59% of the total polled. The UPFA won by a margin of 2,527,783, compared to 180,786 in

1495-479: A similar plan for Trincomalee in the Eastern province and an agreement was later signed with Surbana for the purpose. Wickremesinghe proposed major economic reforms and proposed a knowledge based social market economy which will be built on social justice principles that will also focus on the availability of global opportunities for education and strengthening of the health system to face health concerns of

1610-682: A socialite and her younger brother Anura Bandaranaike joined active politics, going on to become a cabinet minister and Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka as well as the youngest leader of the opposition. Chandrika was educated at the St Bridget's Convent, Colombo , and enrolled at the Roman Catholic Aquinas University College , Colombo to study for a law degree. However, in 1967, she left Aquinas for France without completing her law studies, on

1725-433: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga ( Sinhala : චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග ; Tamil : சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க ; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK , is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth president of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. She previously served as

1840-677: Is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and the Global Leadership Foundation . In November 2009, Kumaratunga was appointed to the 12-member board of directors of the Club de Madrid . She is a frequent panelist and member of the Clinton Global Initiative and advisor to its annual meeting held every September. Kumaratunga noted in 2007: ″I sincerely tried to reach a political consensus to solve

1955-548: Is an overall lack of freedom and an atmosphere of fear prevails in the country. The basic rights of the people and media freedom are restricted in Sri Lanka." In February 2017, Kumaratunga accepted an invitation to join the eminent international Council of Patrons of the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Bangladesh. On 21 November 2014 Kumaratunga formally announced her return to active politics at

2070-560: The 2015 parliamentary elections held on 17 August 2015, thus he was officially inaugurated as the Prime Minister for a fourth time, with 106 seats in the 225-member Parliament (though short of 7 seats to secure the simple majority of the Parliament) defeating the political rivalry UPFA leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his bid to return as prime minister after his defeat as president. Wickremesinghe also scored

2185-452: The Battle of Mullaitivu in 1996 and Battle of Kilinochchi in 1998. Her government thereafter launched Operation Jayasikurui which soon bogged down with heavy casualties. Her government, led by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar increased the recognition and acceptance of Sri Lanka on the international stage, which had been greatly affected by the riots and suppression of insurgency in

2300-666: The Maha Mudaliyar , the chief Ceylonese representative and advisor to the Governor of Ceylon . Her mother Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, was the daughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa , Rate Mahatmaya of Balangoda during British colonial rule, who was descended from Ratwatte Dissawa, Dissawa of Matale , a signatory on behalf of the Sinhalese to the Kandyan Convention of 1815 . Young Chandrika grew up in

2415-586: The People's Alliance lost the parliamentary election to the UNP , and her political opponent, Ranil Wickremasinghe , became Sri Lanka's new prime minister. She continued as president of Sri Lanka although her relationship with the Wickremasinghe government was a strained one. In February 2002 Wickremasinghe's government and the LTTE signed a permanent ceasefire agreement, paving the way for talks to end

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2530-673: The Royal Preparatory School and at the Royal College, Colombo where he was a classmate and friend of Anura Bandaranaike , son of then Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike ; and Dinesh Gunawardena , son of socialist leader Philip Gunawardena . Wickremesinghe entered the Faculty of Law of the University of Ceylon at its Colombo Campus which is now the University of Colombo . After graduation, he completed

2645-513: The SLNS Samudura during this time. The opposition and nationalist movements of the country strongly opposed CFA and the overall peace process of Wickremesinghe's regime. They continuously criticized and protested against the CFA claiming it as a threat to the sovereignty of the country which would ultimately lead the way to the formation of a separate state for the LTTE, or Tamil Eelam . It

2760-707: The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) with his follows of the Sinhala Maha Sabha in 1951. Contesting the elections that followed and strengthening the SLFP in the periods between elections; Bandaranaike became the Leader of the Opposition in 1952 and prime minister in 1956. As prime minister, he was responsible for putting forth significant reforms such as the nationalization of bus companies and

2875-497: The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was formed to inquire into any instance of violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement. In the aftermath of signing the CFA, the island was deemed a safe place once again, after decades of war. The tourism industry in particular experienced a significant escalation where the number of tourists arriving in the country was suddenly increased. The A9 Highway

2990-571: The Tamil Tigers , at her final election rally at Colombo Town Hall premises on 18 December 1999. She managed to defeat Ranil Wickremasinghe in the election held on 21 December and was sworn in for another term the next day. Her second term saw the civil war aggravating with her government suffering major defeats against the LTTE such as the Second Battle of Elephant Pass and Bandaranaike Airport attack . In December 2001, her party

3105-548: The United National Party (UNP) and progressed through its ranks. He was appointed as the chief organizer of the Kelaniya Electorate in the mid-1970s, and was later appointed as the chief organizer of the Biyagama Electorate, which he won in the 1977 parliamentary elections and entered parliament. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new government of J. R. Jayewardene , and

3220-636: The United National Party (UNP) since 1994 and has been Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on six occasions. Born into a political family , Wickremesinghe graduated from the University of Ceylon and qualified as a lawyer from the Ceylon Law College in 1972. He entered politics in the mid-1970s with the UNP, first being elected to Parliament in 1977 . Over the years, he held various ministerial positions, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Youth Affairs and Employment, and Industry, Science and Technology. He first became prime minister in 1993 following

3335-533: The United Socialist Alliance . In the general election of 1989, the alliance received 160,271 votes (2.86%) and three seats in Parliament. After Abeygunasekera left the party, Y. P. de Silva became its leader. Under him, in 1993, the SLMP joined the People's Alliance . The People's Alliance won the 1994 presidential election , and Chandrika Kumaranatunga became the president of Sri Lanka. In

3450-612: The University of Bristol became a veterinary surgeon. Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe ( Sinhala : රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ; Tamil : ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க ; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the ninth president of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. Previously, he served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2018, 2018-2019 and in 2022. He held several ministerial roles, including Minister of Finance , Minister of Defence , Minister of Technology and Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment . Wickremesinghe has led

3565-606: The election held on 2 April 2004 the UPFA formed a government with Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister. This marked the first time in history that the JVP became a partner in a Sri Lankan government. However, in June 2005, the JVP left Kumaratunga's government over a disagreement regarding a joint mechanism with LTTE rebels sharing foreign aid to rebuild the tsunami -devastated Northern and Eastern areas of Sri Lanka. Kumaratunga's six-year term ended that year in 2005. She argued that since

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3680-478: The prime minister from August to November 1994 and the chief minister of the Western Province from 1993 to 1994. She is the country's first and only female president to date and the country's second female prime minister . She was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1994 to 2005. She was elected as president in 1994 , when she defeated UNP candidate Srima Dissanayake in

3795-742: The 1980s. She succeeded in having the LTTE banned internationally; with the United States and the United Kingdom proscribed the LTTE on 8 October 1997 and 28 February 2001 respectively, thereby depriving that organization of a primary source of funding. Her government re-established formal diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, which had become a major supplier of weapons to the island. In October 1999, Kumaratunga called an early presidential election . She lost vision in her right eye (permanent optic nerve damage) in an assassination attempt , by

3910-611: The 1994 presidential election campaign, all campaign details concerning the UNP presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake had been secretly passed on to his opponent, Chandrika Kumaratunga by Wickremesinghe. Sirisena made this disclosure while addressing an election committee meeting held at Siripura, Polonnaruwa. Sirisena asserted that he had ample proof to validate his claim and allegations. Consequently, both parties started to challenge each other for open media debates. The UNP along with several other parties and civil organizations signed an Understanding Agreement and decided to field

4025-404: The 1999 election had been held one year early, she should be allowed to serve that leftover year stating that she had a secret swearing-in for her second term a year after her formal swearing-in. The Supreme Court rejected this stating that her term ended in 2005. In the presidential elections that followed, Mahinda Rajapaksa gained 50.29% and succeeded her as president, leading all 25 parties in

4140-550: The 2005 presidential election. Wickremesinghe signed an Alliance Agreement with twelve other opposition parties in November 2009 and he announced that a common candidate would be fielded for the presidential election which would be held in 2010. Later, he announced that former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka had been selected as the common candidate and pledged to support him. In August 2012, Minister of Health and SLFP general secretary Maithripala Sirisena alleged that during

4255-503: The 21st century. He also planned on reducing high income disparity levels in the domestic economy and increasing exports . He launched a plan to reform state-owned enterprise , enter into trade agreements with India and China to increase market access and regain GSP+ to regain EU markets, restructure key investment promotion agencies, develop tourism , attract high spending tourists, and develop

4370-654: The Gampaha District in August 1994. Achieving a slim majority in parliament by gaining the support of the Ceylon Workers' Congress , the PA formed a government with Chandrika as prime minister with her mother as a minister in the cabinet on 19 August 1994. She also succeeded her mother as the leader of the SLFP. Soon thereafter presidential elections were called for in November. Prime Minister Kumaratunga backed by

4485-415: The JVP . The People's Alliance government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga appointed a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate activities of Batalanda and on 3 September 1997 Wickremesinghe was summoned to testify before the commission. The Commission's report was released on 12 April 1998. The commission was a fact-finding mission and had no judicial powers; however, it recommended

4600-728: The LRC in 1976, she became the chairman of the Janawasa Commission, which established collective farms from land acquired by the LRC. Following the defeat of her mother's SLFP government in the 1977 general election , she left government service and acted as a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations till 1979. In 1978, she married Vijaya Kumaratunga a leading actor, and LSSP turned SLFP political activist. She supported his election campaign in

4715-464: The LTTE again showed some intentions of entering into the peace process, calling for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA). The proposal was handed over to the government through Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar . Analysts saw Wickremesinghe was fanning the internecine feuds among the Tigers and systematically weakening them and a foreign policy intended to tighten the global dragnet against

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4830-571: The LTTE during this period. A few days after LTTE proposed the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked three ministers of the cabinet and took over the ministries using her constitutional powers, ending the uneasy coalition between her and Wickremesinghe while he was out of the country. Addressing the nation she claimed that this decision was taken in the interest of national security. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna also allied with

4945-642: The LTTE faction during the peace talks. The Norwegian government acted as the chief facilitator during the peace talks. There were six rounds of peace talks which were held at different locations around the world: After the Oslo round of peace talks in December 2003, a concluding statement was declared by the Norwegian facilitators which later became known as the Oslo Declaration . In this statement, it

5060-564: The LTTE. Agreements were signed with the US which allowed Sri Lanka to get assistance in terms of military training, military technology, intelligence, special training in counterterrorism and direct monetary assistance for military development. During the ceasefire period, the United States Pacific Command assessment team conducted a study from 12 September to 24 October 2002, which made several recommendations to strengthen

5175-658: The Megapolis plan which he started in when he was PM in 2001–2004. Surbana was consulted to revise the master plan to suit newer needs. The Ministry of Megapolis and Western development was created for project and the project which expects to convert the currently unplanned Western Province into a major megapolis by 2030 with an estimated population of 8.4 million and expects to solve the issues concerning traffic congestion , waste management and slum dwellers in urban areas. Wickremesinghe also showed interest in Surbana creating

5290-460: The PA contested against Gamini Dissanayake, who was the leader of the opposition backed by the UNP. However, Dissanayake was soon assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber and his widow Srima Dissanayake took over his nomination. Chandrika won the presidential election in 1994 gaining 62.28% of the vote. Becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka in November 1994, she appointed her mother to succeed her as prime minister. Her government continued

5405-478: The PA to defeat Wickremesinghe's government, which they claimed to be a threat to the sovereignty of the country. President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved the parliament on 7 February 2004 which effectively ended Wickremesinghe's government. President Kumaratunga unexpectedly dissolved the Parliament on 7 February 2004 and called for new parliamentary elections. In the 2004 parliamentary elections held on 2 April Wickremesinghe's UNF lost governmental office. Despite

5520-451: The PA's 77 seats. Consequently, Wickremesinghe was able to form a new UNF government and sworn as the 17th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on 9 December 2001. Chandrika Kumaratunga still remained the president of the country. This led to a confusing situation where the president and the prime minister were from two opposing parties. Although, according to the constitution, the president was both head of state and head of government, Wickremesinghe

5635-523: The Port of Colombo, a prohibition on caste-based discrimination, the removal of British military bases, and the establishment of diplomatic missions with a number of Communist states. He also made Sinhala the country's only official language, thus marginalizing the Tamils as well as members of the middle-class educated elite whose first language was English. He was subsequently assassinated in 1959 when Chandrika

5750-568: The President's refusal to consider the key demands of Rajapaksa to be appointed as prime ministerial candidate and the charges against his family members and close associations to be dropped. Rajapaksa's faction in SLFP criticised that the FCID was used as a tool to revenge on his associations and threatened to take legal action against FCID. The United National Party led by Wickremesinghe suffered

5865-551: The SLFP which had been founded by her father and now led by her mother. In 1974, she became an executive committee member of its Women's League. She was appointed as an Additional Principal Director in the Land Reforms Commission (LRC) which acquired nearly 228,000 hectares of private land to the state under the Land Reform Law, which imposed a ceiling of twenty hectares on privately owned land. Leaving

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5980-577: The Supreme court and the Appeal court, Rajapaksa backed down and Wickremesinghe was re-instated at prime minister on 16 December 2018. Following many internal party negotiations Wickremesinghe agreed to back Sajith Premadasa as the party candidate for the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election . Premadasa was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa who gained 52.25% of the votes against 41.99% by Premadasa. Wickremesinghe's foreign policy in his third premiership

6095-464: The Tamil Tigers. Gamini Dissanayake's widow, Srima Dissanayake replaced him as the candidate of the UNP in the 1994 election . Securing just 35% of the vote, she lost to Chandrika Kumaratunga in every electorate except Mahiyangana . Afterwards, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the opposition leader as well as the UNP leader. Wickremesinghe was seen as a cooperative opposition leader who gave

6210-559: The UNP and formed the Democratic United National Front following a failed impeachment against President Ranasinghe Premadasa . DUNF soon mobilized the opposition against the Premadasa government. Having returned permanently in 1991, Chandrika rejoined SLFP and got actively involved in politics. In 1993, Athulathmudali and Premadasa were assassinated. Following Athulathmudali's assassination, Chandrika became

6325-412: The UNP, Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a democratic leader but a dictator. Former minister and UNP MP Mahinda Wijesekara commented that "We don't need a dictator in the party," saying that Wickremesinghe opposed party reforms. More than 60 UNP MPs allegedly left the party during Wickremesinghe's leadership as opposition leader. With the military defeat of the LTTE in the civil war, the government held

6440-408: The UPFA. She was listed 25th by Forbes magazine in its "100 most powerful women" in 2005. In 2006, having remained the leader of the SLFP after leaving office, she "temporally" stepped down from the party leadership citing "continuous harassment she has faced after Mahinda Rajapaksa took office as president" and soon after left the country for self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. Kumaratunga

6555-705: The US government pledged to support his peace efforts with LTTE . He also met the British Prime Minister Tony Blair , Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee . In September 2003, Wickremesinghe made his first official visit to Malaysia since taking office as prime minister. Over his two-day visit, he met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya and urged Malaysian investors to explore opportunities in tourism, infrastructure, and agriculture. He also reassured them about

6670-619: The West. He expected their economic backing to overcome the economic crisis. He also largely took assistance, especially from Norway , to resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka . In July 2002 he was able to meet United States President George W. Bush . It was the first time a Sri Lankan leader met the US president in the White House in 18 years. This visit was primarily focused on building new relationships based on economical links between United States and Sri Lanka. Furthermore,

6785-455: The assassination of President Ranasinghe Premadasa . Wickremesinghe ran unsuccessfully in 1999 and 2005 presidential elections. In 2015, he was appointed prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena , leading a coalition government until 2019. During his tenure, he faced a constitutional crisis in 2018 but was reappointed as prime minister after it was resolved. He lost his parliamentary seat in 2020 but re-entered Parliament in 2021 as

6900-580: The by-election in Mahara in 1983, where he lost in the recount. She left the SLFP in 1984 when Vijaya Kumaratunga formed his own party the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP) supporting his political activities against the policies of the mainstream parties. She served as the vice president of the SLMP. This resulted in her falling out with her mother and brother who were leading the SLFP at the time. On 16 February 1988, Vijaya Kumaratunga

7015-466: The capabilities of the Sri Lanka Army , Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force in case of the peace process failing. After studying the weakness of the military, the study recommended the use of cluster bombs (which unbanned until 2010 when the Cluster Munitions Convention came into effect) to destroy unarmoured area targets and recommended arming Kafirs and Mi-24 gunships with guided weapons in case of fighting close to enemy forces. The US also donated

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7130-426: The comfort of the wealthy Bandaranaike family at their mansion at Rosmead Place in Colombo and at their family seat of Horagolla Walauwa , which was her father's constituency. Her early years saw her father's rising political career as he became the first Cabinet Minister of Health and Local Government when Ceylon gained its independence in 1948 and his dramatic departure from the governing party to form his own party,

7245-519: The committee. However several family members and friends of Rajapaksa were questioned by the FCID, Rajapaksa fears that his entire family and friends could be prosecuted and brought down to justice. Former President Rajapaksa asked President Sirisena over the pending charges against his family members and political associations be dropped. However, President Sirisena refused to drop the charges that were ongoing, The meeting between President Sirisena and former President Rajapaksa ended up unsuccessful over

7360-476: The country in 1988, seeking refuge in the United Kingdom. There she worked for World Institute for Development Economics Research at the United Nations University. Following the end of the second JVP insurrection , Chandrika began visiting Sri Lanka in 1990 and re-engaging politics. In September 1991, the governing United National Party which had been dominating the political landscape was greatly weakened when Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake left

7475-408: The disputing opposition parties to form a coalition. During the 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis , Kumaratunga remained silent and she later claimed that she was not invited to the special convention of the SLFP on 4 December 2018. Kumaratunga endorsed Sajith Premadasa for the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election . Chandrika married actor and politician Vijaya Kumaratunga in 1978, who

7590-438: The election, were prevented from voting by the LTTE which had enforced a boycott of the polls. After the defeat in the 2004 parliamentary election , a senior member of UNP and a former minister of Wickremesinghe's prime ministerial government, Rohitha Bogollagama , crossed over to the UPFA government. Soon after the UNP's defeat in the 2005 presidential election, Mahinda Samarasinghe and Keheliya Rambukwella also defected to

7705-410: The ethnic question, and tried to introduce a pluralistic constitution that would cater to the political aspirations of the Tamil people without dividing the country.″ In September 2009, Kumaratunga, on a personal visit to Kerala, India told reporters "I too care for my life. Even though the current government is a government of my party (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) I don't feel safe." She continued, "There

7820-402: The evening of 26 October 2018, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister after the United People's Freedom Alliance withdrew from the unity government. He also informed Wickremesinghe was removed from office. Wickremesinghe said he refused to accept the dismissal claiming that it was unconstitutional which triggered a constitutional crisis . Following rulings by

7935-456: The expectation of a full six-year term, and planned projects cut short by the defeat, the UNP was optimistic that it could regain power in a future election. Within 14 months of UPFA's victory, the radical JVP wing's (composed of over 30 members) parting of ways with the government, left the UPFA's parliamentary composition well short of the required majority. He remained in the post of the Opposition Leader until 2015, when Maithripala Sirisena who

8050-565: The futures of younger generations and instantly confirmed that the Government will launch 1 million jobs for the youth as well advancement for the education and health sectors will maintain as promised. He also took steps to develop the former war-zones by touring the affected areas and met civil activists to discuss the issues faced by the Jaffna civilians and schools and to expedite investigations of missing persons. He also took steps to uplift Northern Province communities and to improve their standard of living. Wickremesinghe also restarted

8165-417: The general election the same year, two members were elected to Parliament : Bharatha Luxman Premachandra for the Colombo District , and Y. P. de Silva from the national list. De Silva was named deputy minister of foods. After de Silva's death, Dr Ranjith Navarathne became the party leader in 1997. In the 2000 general election, Dr Navarathne was elected to Parliament from the Kurunegala District . He signed

8280-646: The governing UPFA ranks in parliament and were given ministerial appointments. The group consisted of senior members of UNP and many of them were former ministers of Wickremesinghe's 2001–2004 government: Karu Jayasuriya (Deputy Leader of UNP), M. H. Mohamed (former speaker of the parliament), Milinda Moragoda , G. L. Peiris , Bandula Gunawardane , Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena , Gamini Lokuge , P. Dayaratna , Mano Wijeyeratne , Rajitha Senaratne , R.A.D. Sirisena , Mahinda Wijesekara , Naween Dissanayake , Hemakumara Nanayakkara , R. M. Dharmadasa Banda , Neomal Perera and Chandrasiri Sooriyaarachchi . The defection of

8395-416: The government a chance to carry out its agenda in its early days. In the 1999 presidential election , Wickremesinghe was nominated as the UNP presidential candidate. After a tense election campaign in the wake of the violent North Western Provincial Council election , the Tamil Tigers carried out a suicide bomb attack in an election campaign rally, in which President Kumaratunga lost her right eye. Voting

8510-687: The government to "bring the guilty to book". One of its findings was that "Wickremesinghe and the SSP Nalin Delgoda, are indirectly responsible for the maintenance of places of unlawful detention and torture chambers in houses at the Batalanda Housing Scheme". It further stated that Wickremesinghe held "unauthorised meetings of police officers involved in counter-insurgency operations in the housing complex, and that as such, he had abused his authority". No criminal proceedings took place thereafter. On 7 May 1993, Wickremesinghe

8625-473: The government. In 2007, Wickremesinghe established a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mahinda Rajapaksa government agreeing to UNP's collaboration with the government on issues of national interest. However, shortly afterwards, 17 of the UNP's 60 members in parliament, including the group who had challenged Wickremesinghe's leadership, led by deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya crossed over to

8740-601: The highest preferential votes in the election with 500,556 votes, beating his rival Rajapaksa by a considerable margin whilst setting a new record as the candidate with the highest number of preferential votes in Sri Lankas' elections history. Wickremesinghe vowed to regain the majority in the Parliament and make it as the United National Party's Government, at the same time he also promised to secure

8855-564: The largest landslide victory in Sri Lankan history, winning 62% of all votes cast. She was reelected in 1999 , beating UNP candidate and Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe . Chandrika Bandaranaike was born on 29 June 1945, at Wentworth in Guildford Crescent, Colombo to Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike and Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike . The family moved the year later to

8970-552: The law exams at the Ceylon Law College and took oaths as an advocate in 1972 after having apprenticed under H. W. Jayewardene , QC . He became an Attorney at law following the changes to the legal profession in 1973. Wickremesinghe received an honorary doctorate from Deakin University in Australia on 14 February 2017 for his significant contributions in reforms in economy, education and human rights. Wickremesinghe joined

9085-518: The long-running conflict. In December, the government and the rebels agreed to share power during peace talks in Norway. President Kumaratunga believed Wickremasinghe was being too lenient towards the LTTE, and in May 2003 she indicated her willingness to sack the prime minister and government if she felt they were making too many concessions to the rebels. On 4 November 2003, while Prime Minister Wickremasinghe

9200-745: The lowest for 16 years. During the Rajapaksa Administration which oversaw the rise of lawlessness and abuse of state power by Rajapaksa's government ministers and officers after the defeat of the Administration, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe decided to set up the Financial Crimes Investigation Division . This led to arrest Basil Rajapaksa the younger brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his political henchmen who were involved in large-scale corruption also were arrested within months after forming

9315-471: The ongoing civil war . These overtures failed, when the LTTE broke the cease-fire and blew up two Sri Lanka Navy gunboats known as SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru on 19 April 1995. She thereafter pursued a more military-based strategy against them launching several major offensives such as Operation Riviresa which captured the Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE. However, she suffered a major set back due to

9430-497: The open economic policies of the UNP, with an increase in the major revenue earners; the apparel industry, foreign remittances from migrant unskilled labor, and tea exports. Much of her major economic projects failed and the country was in recession by 2001. She privatized several state corporations such as Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation , State Distilleries Corporation , Air Lanka among others which were found to be controversial with Kumaratunga accused of taking large bribes for

9545-418: The opposition personally such as the leader of the opposition, Ranil Wickremasinghe . Her administration was criticized for its attacks and intimidation of journalists; rigged elections and in 2000 in the run-up to the elections tried to arrest and imprison her main political opponent Wickremasinghe. Early in her term, she made conciliatory moves toward the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in an attempt to end

9660-417: The party stalwarts to join the government continued thereafter with several members such as; Susantha Punchinilame , Mahinda Ratnatilaka , Nandimithra Ekanayake , Thilanga Sumathipala , R. Duminda Silva , Ravindra Randeniya and Ashoka Wadigamangawa . However, in late 2008, Jayasuriya crossed over once again to the opposition and was given back the deputy leader post. In February 2008, Wickremesinghe

9775-638: The party's leader until he crossed over to the UNP in 1993. The party lost 117 leading members during the revolution of 1988–89, including Vijaya Kumaranatunga, Pohoddaramulle Pemaloka Thero, T. B. Wijesuriya, and Deva Bandara Senarathne. Shortly after Kumaranatunga's assassination , the SLMP joined hands with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka , the Lanka Sama Samaja Party , and the Nava Sama Samaja Party to form

9890-413: The positive developments in the peace process. Wickremesinghe believed a political solution based on a United Sri Lanka was the permanent solution to the civil war in the country. He also believed that such a solution could be reached through a peaceful negotiation process with LTTE. Three months after the election, Wickremesinghe's government entered a ceasefire agreement (CFA) with LTTE. The agreement

10005-548: The presidency of Ranasinghe Premadasa , Wickremesinghe was appointed as the Minister of Industry on 18 February 1989, under which he initiated industrial reforms and established the Biyagama Special Economic Zone . In 1990, he was given the additional portfolios of Science and Technology. Wickremesinghe had competition from his senior colleagues in the UNP, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake , who had been rivals of President Premadasa. He

10120-591: The principal opposition candidate in the Western provincial council election, in which she was elected as the Chief Minister of the Western Province on 21 May 1993. With general elections called for in 1994 , she became the de facto leader of the SLFP forming a coalition called the People's Alliance , which contested the general elections. In the election, Chandrika was elected to parliament from

10235-531: The rural economy. Special economic zones and a special financial and business hub in Colombo were also proposed. Wickremesinghe also organized the Sri Lanka Economic Forum 2016 with the presence of international investor and Founder Chairman of Open Society George Soros and Nobel Laureate Economist Joseph Stiglitz and many other experts such as Ricardo Hausmann . The forum was seen as

10350-527: The sales and years later the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka annulled several such sales. She was fined by the court a sum of three million rupees for unlawful land acquisition and subsequent sale of such land for the Water's Edge development project. She further followed a policy of strong prosecution of UNP, by appointing presidential committees to investigate actions of the UNP tenure and leading members of

10465-557: The then Secretary-General of Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate for the 2015 presidential election . Sirisena pledged to appoint Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister if he won the election. In the elections held on 8 January 2015, Maithripala Sirisena was elected as the 6th President of Sri Lanka, beating incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his bid for a third term. Sirisena appointed Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka during his inauguration on 9 January 2015. Wickremesinghe's UNP-led UNFGG won

10580-595: The vote. Born on 24 March 1949 in Colombo , Wickremesinghe was the second son of Esmond Wickremesinghe and Nalini Wickremesinghe née Wijewardena. His father was a lawyer who became a press baron taking over the Lake House Group of newspapers . His grandfathers were Cyril Wickremesinghe of the Ceylon Civil Service and the press baron, D. R. Wijewardhena . Wickremesinghe was educated at

10695-462: The École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, where she studied from 1970 to 1973. She is fluent in Sinhala , English and French . She returned to Ceylon in 1972, where her mother had become prime minister for the second time in 1970 and launched a wide-ranging programme of socialist reform, and faced a violent communist insurrection in 1971. After returning she enrolled in and became active in

10810-467: Was assassinated in front of his home in Narahenpita by gunmen in the presence of his wife. Chandrika Kumaratunga briefly took over the leadership of her husband's party, and formed the United Socialist Alliance with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka , the Lanka Sama Samaja Party , and the Nava Sama Samaja Party . Although it was well organized, it lacked votes. Fearing for her life, she soon fled

10925-405: Was able to appoint his own cabinet and he had the actual control over the government. President Chandrika Kumaratunga also chaired cabinet meetings as de facto head, but her influence over decision making was strictly limited. During his second premiership, Wickremesinghe proposed to initiate the " Western Region Megapolis " project. Planned with the assistance of architects and town planners of

11040-602: Was aimed at re-balancing relations with India and the West that were strained during the previous regime while sustaining good relations with China as well. He also chose to restart discussions to solve the Indo-Sri Lanka fishing dispute but strongly defended the Sri Lankan navy 's right to shoot Indian fishermen that fish in Sri Lankan waters, stating: If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. If he gets killed... Law allows me to do that. His foreign policy

11155-512: Was alleged to cost the Sri Lankan government an additional Rs. 1.6 billion ($ 10.6 million), though this was disputed by the Leader of the House of Parliament. A petition was lodged in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka contesting the methodology used to allege such a loss. Perpetual Treasuries was issued, directly and indirectly, with Rs. 5 billion in bonds at 12.5%. Perpetual Treasuries was one of

11270-482: Was appointed Leader of the House in 1989. It was alleged by the People's Alliance government that Wickremesinghe, as Minister, was the political authority behind an illegal detention centre in the Batalanda housing and industrial complex outside Colombo between 1988 and 1990 which was allegedly run by a government-backed counter-subversive unit as part of the state's operation to put down an armed insurgency by

11385-405: Was appointed Prime Minister of the country. Wickremesinghe was defeated in the race for Opposition Leader by two votes by fellow UNP member Gamini Dissanayake , who had re-joined the party. This gave Gamini Dissanayake the default leadership of the party and made him the presidential nominee of the UNP. The UNP was progressing well under Gamini Dissanayake's leadership when he too was assassinated by

11500-487: Was appointed as the chairperson of office for national unity and reconciliation to overlook national unity in Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of the 2018 Maldivian presidential election it was revealed that Kumaratunga was instrumental in forming the opposition alliance against the incumbent President Abdulla Yameen . Kumaratunga coordinated with opposition leaders both in the Maldives and in Sri Lanka bridging trust between

11615-444: Was assassinated on 16 February 1988, outside his residence in the presence of Chandrika and their two children, then aged five and seven. Their daughter, Yasodhara Kumaratunga born in 1980 and educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and at St George's, University of London became a medical doctor and married Roger Walker a consultant medical practitioner from Dorset. Their son, Vimukthi Kumaratunga born in 1982 and educated at

11730-400: Was fourteen. Following the assassination, Bandaranaike's grieving widow took over the leadership of the SLFP and led it to an election victory making her the first female prime minister in the world, in 1960. Therefore, Chandrika was involved in politics from a young age along with her siblings as she was the second of three children in the family. Her elder sister Sunethra Bandaranaike became

11845-437: Was held two days later on 21 December 1999 and amidst a wave of sympathy, Kumaratunga was re-elected to a second term with 51% of the popular vote. After this electoral loss, Wickremesinghe unsuccessfully led his party in the 2000 parliamentary elections , again losing out to the PA. In the 2001 parliamentary elections , Wickremesinghe led the newly formed United National Front (UNF) to victory, winning 109 seats compared to

11960-539: Was later claimed by Karuna Amman who defected from the LTTE during Wickremesinghe's regime that the LTTE dragged the peace talks to smuggle weapons and ammunition including aircraft. The LTTE continuously violated the CFA on many occasions. In August 2007, the SLMM agreed that the LTTE had violated the CFA on a total of 3830 occasions while the government of Sri Lanka had violated CFA in only 351 occasions. Several Sri Lankan Army intelligence operatives were allegedly killed by

12075-462: Was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party . In the presidential election held on 17 November 2005, Wickremesinghe was narrowly defeated by Mahinda Rajapaksa , who won 50.29% of the vote to Wickremesinghe's 48.43%. A large number of the minority Tamil population in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country, who were largely expected to vote for Wickremesinghe in

12190-455: Was on an official visit to the US, Kumaratunga prorogued Parliament and took over Defense, Interior, and Media ministries herself. Her opponents criticized her, calling her behavior dictatorial. Kumaratunga's PA and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP (People's Liberation Front) formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in January 2004 and dissolved Parliament. Having won

12305-467: Was oversubscribed with 36 bids totaling Rs. 20 billion. The majority of bidders, 26, bidded for Rs. 100 million or less at a rate of 9.5%–10.5%. However, a few bidders, including Perpetual Treasuries Limited, wanted interest rates of 11%–12%. On 27 February 2015 the CBSL accepted Rs. 10 billion in bids at rates of 9.5%–12.5%. The issuing of ten times the advertised bonds, and at a higher than expected rate,

12420-412: Was reopened up to Kilinochchi on 15 February 2002 after 18 years. After signing the CFA, Wickremesinghe held a few rounds of peace talks with LTTE between 2002 and 2003. Prof. G. L. Peiris , minister Milinda Moragoda and minister Rauff Hakeem led the government delegation and LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham , LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan and military leader Karuna Amman led

12535-591: Was seen as moving away from the Rajapaksa government's isolationist policies, which distanced Sri Lanka from the Western world. His policies were seen to attract investments and financial aid. His government allowed a 99-year lease of a port to a Chinese company which caused protests in 2017. He also worked to develop relations with Japan and Singapore, choosing them as his second and third foreign state visits after being elected as prime minister. During his visit to Japan, he promised to support Japan's bid to secure

12650-480: Was signed on 22 February 2002 at different locations in the war zone by both parties and the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jon Westborg acted as the facilitator. It was said that the main objective of this agreement was to find a negotiated solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Both parties agreed to halt all offensive military operations. An international monitoring mission called

12765-594: Was soon promoted to the post of Minister of Youth Affairs & Employment on 5 October 1977, which made him the youngest cabinet minister of Sri Lanka. During his term as minister, he initiated the Sri Lanka National Guard and the National Youth Services Council (NYSCO), which provides vocational and career training to school leavers. Wickremesinghe was later made the Minister of Education on 14 February 1980. Under

12880-485: Was stated that "both parties have decided to explore a political solution founded on internal self-determination based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka". This was considered one of the most significant incidents in the history of finding a political solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. After the sixth round of peace talks in March 2003, the LTTE abruptly withdrew from the peace talks. In October 2003,

12995-461: Was sworn in as prime minister after President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers and Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga was appointed president. During his ephemeral term, he was credited for pushing the country through an impressive economic transformation and was generally backed by the business community. In the 1994 parliamentary elections , the UNP lost to Chandrika Kumaratunga 's People's Alliance (PA), and Kumaratunga

13110-415: Was sworn in as the President, appointed him as the Prime Minister. In December 2004, Wickremesinghe was chosen by the United National Party as its presidential candidate for the presidential elections due in late 2005. The Supreme Court decided in August 2005 that the elections should be held that year despite the president's argument that her term would end in 2006. Mahinda Rajapaksa , then prime minister,

13225-424: Was under pressure to step down from the party leadership to accept an advisory position, from a majority of the UNP's parliamentary group. In March, the UNP working committee decided to create a new post called Senior Leader of the party and appointed Wickremesinghe to the post. This was amid discussion with the UNP's parliamentary group about the need for Wickremesinghe to relinquish his post (of party leader) so that

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