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There have been thirteen Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka since the creation of the position in 1947, prior to the formation of the Dominion of Ceylon. The Prime Minister of Ceylon was the head of the government until 1978. In 1972, the country was named 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 Ministries of Defence and External Affairs until 1978.
In 1978, the then Prime Minister J.R. Jayewardene introduced new constitutional changes. 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 head of government,[1] and the Prime Minister became a nominal position.[2]
Under the current constitution of Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister is the Head of the Cabinet and 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 could be held to elect a new president. This was the case in 1993, when President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated and Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunge took office as President.[3]
Of the thirteen Prime Ministers who have held office since the introduction of the position in 1947, two have held office thrice, and two have held office twice. Five Prime Ministers have gone on to become President of the country. The current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne, since 21 April 2010.
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| # | Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left Office | Parliament | Political party | Notable events and achievements | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don Stephen Senanayake (1884–1952) |
24 September 1947 | 22 March 1952 | First Parliament1 | United National Party | D. S. Senanayake was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. The country gained independence from Great Britain during his term of office.[4] | ||
| 2 | Dudley Shelton Senanayake (1911–1973) (1st term) |
26 March 1952 | 12 October 1953 | First Parliament, Second Parliament |
United National Party | Dudley Senanayake was appointed as Prime Minister following the death of his father, D. S. Senanayake. His party won at the general elections held in June 1952, and he continued in the office without a re-appointment. Dudley Senanayake resigned in 1953.[5] | ||
| 3 | John Lionel Kotelawala (1897–1980) |
12 October 1953 | 12 April 1956 | Second Parliament | United National Party | Sri Lanka joined the United Nations under the leadership of Kotelawala.[6] | ||
| 4 | Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (1899–1959) |
12 April 1956 | 26 September 1959 | Third Parliament | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Bandaranaike changed the official language of the country from English to Sinhalese. He was assassinated before his term of office ended.[7] | ||
| 5 | Wijeyananda Dahanayake (1902–1997) |
26 September 1959 | 20 March 1960 | Third Parliament | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Dahanayake was appointed following the assassination of Bandaranaike. However, following disagreements with the members of his government and party, he was forced to dissolve the parliament.[8] | ||
| 6 | Dudley Shelton Senanayake (1911–1973) (2nd term) |
21 March 1960 | 21 July 1960 | Fourth Parliament | United National Party | Senanayake's government was defeated after one month. Senanayake continued to serve as Prime Minister until 21 July 1960. | ||
| 7 | Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1916–2000) (1st term) |
21 July 1960 | 25 March 1965 | Fifth Parliament | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the world's first female prime minister.[9] She was not a member of Parliament at the time of appointment, and was appointed to the Senate on 2 August 1960. | ||
| 8 | Dudley Shelton Senanayake (1911–1973) (3rd term) |
25 March 1965 | 29 May 1970 | Sixth Parliament | United National Party | Senanayake was elected Prime Minister for the third time, when his party formed a government with the help of six other parties, after an election which did not give a clear majority to any party. The agriculture sector was given high priority during his term of office.[10] | ||
| 9 | Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1916–2000) (2nd term) |
29 May 1970 | 22 May 1972 | Seventh Parliament | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Sirimavo Bandaranaike declared the country a republic, and its name was changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka.[9] | ||
| # | Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left Office | Parliament | Political party | Notable events and achievements | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1916–2000) (2nd term) |
22 May 1972 | 23 July 1977 | First National State Assembly2 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Sirimavo Bandaranaike nationalized many companies in the plantation sector and imposed restrictions on several imports. This led to the downfall of the country's economy, and she was defeated in the general elections of 1977, with allegations of corruption which later led to her expulsion from Parliament.[9] | ||
| 10 | Junius Richard Jayewardene (1906–1996) |
23 July 1977 | 4 February 1978 | Second National State Assembly | United National Party | Jayewardene introduced the Executive Presidency in 1978, and assumed the position of President of Sri Lanka.[11] | ||
| 11 | Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) |
6 February 1978 | 2 January 1989 | Second National State Assembly, 1st Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka3 |
United National Party | Premadasa was the first Prime Minister to be appointed after the constitutional changes of 1978, with powers of the position reduced significantly.[12] | ||
| 12 | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) |
6 March 1989 | 7 May 1993 | 2nd Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | United National Party | Wijetunge was appointed in a surprise move by the then President, Ranasinghe Premadasa. Wijetunge himself reacted in surprise at the appointment.[3] He resigned from the post on 28 March 1990, but was reappointed two days later, on 30 March 1990. | ||
| 13 | Ranil Wickremasinghe (1949–) (1st term) |
7 May 1993 | 19 August 1994 | 2nd Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | United National Party | Wickremesinghe was appointed as the Prime Minister[13] when Wijetunge was appointed as the President of Sri Lanka, following the assassination of the former President, Ranasinghe Premadasa. | ||
| 14 | Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (1945–) |
19 August 1994 | 12 November 1994 | 3rd Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Chandrika Kumaratunga served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for a short period, before contesting in the presidential elections in 1994 and being elected as president.[14] | ||
| 15 | Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1916–2000) (3rd term) |
14 November 1994 | 9 August 2000 | 3rd Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Sirimavo Bandaranaike was appointed as the Prime Minister when Chandrika Kumaratunga was appointed as the President of Sri Lanka. She resigned in 2000.[9] | ||
| 16 | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (1933–) (1st term) |
10 August 2000 | 7 December 2001 | 3rd Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Wickremanayake assumed the office of the Prime Minister following the resignation of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.[2] | ||
| 17 | Ranil Wickremasinghe (1949–) (2nd term) |
9 December 2001 | 2 April 2004 | 4th Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka, 5th Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka |
United National Party | Wickremesinghe's term of office ended early when the then president Chandrika Kumaratunga dismissed his government and called for a general election in 2004.[15] | ||
| 18 | Mahinda Rajapaksa (1945–) |
6 April 2004 | 19 November 2005 | 6th Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party, as part of United People's Freedom Alliance | Rajapaksa was appointed as Prime Minister of the Cabinet that was formed after the elections following the dismissal of Wickremesinghe's government by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He won the presidential elections in 2005 and assumed the office of the President of Sri Lanka.[16] | ||
| 19 | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (1933–) (2nd term) |
19 November 2005 | 21 April 2010 | 6th Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Wickremanayake was appointed as Prime Minister when Rajapaksa assumed the office of the President of Sri Lanka.[2] | ||
| 20 | Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (1931–) |
21 April 2010 | Incumbent | 7th Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | Jayaratne was appointed as Prime Minister after the parliamentary election held in April 2010 was won by the incumbent Freedom Party. | ||
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