| Wijeyananda Dahanayake | |
|---|---|
| 5th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 1959–1960 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike |
| Succeeded by | Dudley Senanayake |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 22, 1902 Galle, Sri Lanka |
| Died | May 4, 1997 (aged 94) Galle, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Alma mater | Richmond College, Galle |
| Profession | Politician, Teacher |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Wijeyananda Dahanayake (Sinhala:විජෙයානන්ද දහනායක) (October 22, 1902 - May 4, 1997) was a Sri Lankan political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1959 to 1960.
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He was born as a twin in the Galle district. Wijeyananda Dhanayake was educated at a well known educational institution in Southern Sri Lanka, Richmond College in Galle. He is often regarded as being one of the primary forces responsible for the Sinhala Only movement of the 1950s and 60s, and for being one of the early movers responsible for the decades of ethnic unrest that have prevailed in Sri Lanka since.
Dahanayake was a member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party before joining the administration of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, prime minister and leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He served as cabinet minister of education in the Bandaranaike Administration, from 1956 to 1959.
He took office as prime minister, cabinet minister of defence external affairs and education when Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in September 1959. He led the caretaker government for a year.
Dahanayake contested the March 1960 General Election in Ceylon under the nomination of his newly formed Lanka Prajathanthravadi Pakshaya (Ceylon Democratic Party). He could not be re-elected as an MP, as he had lost his Galle constituency in that election.
He had also served as a cabinet minister of home affairs in Dudley Senanayake's government from 1965 to 1970 and cabinet minister of cooperatives in Junius Richard Jayawardene's government from 1986 to 1988.
Dahanayake died on May 4, 1997 at the age of 94 in Galle, Sri Lanka.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike |
Prime Minister of Ceylon 1959–1960 |
Succeeded by Dudley Senanayake |
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