Sri Lanka has had 14 Prime Ministers since the creation of the position in 1947. The Prime Minister was considered as the head of the government until 1978. After J R Jayewardene introduced the position of Executive Presidency in 1978, the powers of the Prime Minister was reduced with the President spearheading the Government.
Of the fourteen Prime Ministers who have held office since the introduction of the position in 1947, three have held office thrice, and one has held office twice. Five Prime Ministers have progressed further and become the President of the country.
Below is a brief overview of the 14 Prime Ministers, chronologically sorted based on their time in office.
Don Steven Senanayake (24 September 1947 – 22 March1952)
D S Senanayake was the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon. He was born in 1883 and passed away on 1952. He was in office from 24 September 1947 to 22 March 1952 and Ceylon gained independence during his term. He was aligned with the United National Party and also held the position of Minister of External Affairs & Defence.
Dudley Senanayake (26 March 1952 – 12 October 1953)
Dudley Senanayake resumed office after the death of his father D S Senanayake, as his party won the general elections held in June 1952, which allowed him to continue in the office without a re-appointment. Dudley Senanayake at the age of 41, held office from March 1952 to October 1953. Similar to his father, he was aligned with the United National Party and held the positions of Minister of External Affairs & Defence, Minister of Agriculture & Land and Minister of Health & Local Government.
Sir John Kotelawala (12 October 1953 – 12 April 1956)
Born on 1897¸ Sir John Kotelawala held office at Prime Minister from 12 October 1953 to 12 April 1956. During his term, he held the appointment of Minister to External Affairs & Defence and to Transport & Works. He was in alliance with the United National Party and during his term in office Sri Lanka became a member of the United Nations organisation.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (12 April 1956 – 26 September 1959)
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, born in 1999, was the fourth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He held office from April 1956 to September 1959. During his term, he changed the official language of the country from English to Sinhalese and was also appointed the Minister of External Affairs & Defence. Bandaranaike was aligned with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was assassinated before his term of office ended.
Wijeyananda Dahanayake (26 September 1959 – 20 March 1960)
Aligned with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Wijeyananda Dahanayake, was appointed as the fifth Prime Minister on 26 September 1959 and continued till 20 March 1960. He held office for a short period of time as he was pressured by the disagreements between the members of his government and party, which resulted in a decision to dissolve the Parliament. During his tenure, he was appointed the Minister of External Affairs & Defence.
Dudley Senanayake (21 March 1960- 21 July 1960)
Dudley Senanayake, born in Dedigama, held office for the second time in March 1960. As his Government was defeated, he was able to hold office only for one month and his tenure ended in July 1960. He was aligned with the United National Party and was appointed the Minister of External Affairs & Defence during his time in office.
Sirimavo Bandaranayake (21 July 1960 – 25 March 1965)
Sirimavo Bandaranayake, born on 1916, was the first female Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the World. She was appointed to office in July 1960 and also held the position of Minister of External Affairs & Defence. She was an ally of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was not a member of the Parliament at the time of appointment.
Dudley Senanayake (25 March 1965 – 29 May 1970)
Dudley Senanayake was appointed for the third time on March 1965 and was in office till May 1970. He also held the position of Minister of External Affairs & Defence.
Sirimavo Bandaranayake (29 May 1970 – 23 July 1977)
Sirimavo Bandaranayake was appointed to office for the second time in May 1970, while being aligned with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. She held the appointment of Minister to External Affairs & Defence and Minister of Planning & Employment. During her tenure, Sirimavo Bandaranaike declared the country a republic, and its name was changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. Due to her policies which affected the nation’s economy negatively, she was defeated in the 1977 general election, with allegations of corruption which later led to her expulsion from Parliament.
Junius Richard Jayewardene (23 July 1977 – 4 February 1978)
J R Jayewardene is one of the most well-known Prime Ministers in Sri Lankan history. He was appointed on 23 July 1977 and remained Prime Minister till the 4 February 1978. He held the positions of Minister of Defence, Minister of Planning & Economic Affairs and Minister of Plan Implementation during his time in office. J R Jayewardene was aligned with the United National Party at that time. During his tenure, he introduced the position of Executive Presidency in 1978, and assumed the position of President of Sri Lanka in 1978.
Ranasinghe Premadasa (6 February 1978 – 2 January 1989)
Born on 1924, Ranasinghe Premadasa was the first Prime Minister to be appointed after the constitutional changes of 1978, where the powers of the position reduced significantly. He was in office from February 1978 to January 1989. He was also appointed the Minister of Local Government, Housing & Construction and was an ally of the United National Party. Ranasinghe Premadasa was the Prime Minister to the first president of Sri Lanka, J R Jayewardene.
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (6 March 1989 – 7 May 1993)
D B Wijetunga, was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from March 1989 to May 1993, during the presidency of Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was the Minister of Finance and Minister of Labour & Vocational Training during his tenure. His appointment to the post of Prime Minister was a surprise to himself and the nation. He resigned from the post on 28 March 1990, but was reappointed two days later, on 30 March 1990.
Ranil Wickremesinghe (7 May 1993 – 19 August 1994)
Born on 1949, Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from May 1993 to August 1994. He was aligned with the United National Party and was appointed as the Prime Minister when Wijetunge was appointed as the President of Sri Lanka, following the assassination of the former President, Ranasinghe Premadasa.
Chandrika Kumaratunga (19 August 1994 – 12 November 1994)
Chandrika Kumaratunga in alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, was the second female personnel to be appointed the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. She was appointed in August 1994 and served for a short period of time, as she contested in the presidential elections in 1994 and was elected President.
Sirimavo Bandaranayake (14 November 1994 – 9 August 2000)
Sirimavo Bandaranayake, held office as Prime Minister for the third time in November 1994 under the presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga. She resigned from power in 2000 and was a strong ally of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (10 August 2000 – 7 December 2001)
Born on 1933 in Kalutara, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed Prime Minister in August 2000 under the presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga. He was in alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and his tenure ended in December 2001.
Ranil Wickremesinghe (9 December 2001- 6 April 2004)
Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected the Prime Minister for the third time in December 2001 and was in power till President Chandrika Kumaratunga dismissed his government and called for a general election in 2004.
Mahinda Rajapaksa (6 April 2004 – 19 November 2005)
Mahinda Rajapaksa, born in 1945 in the district of Hambantota, was appointed the Prime Minister in April 2004. He was the head of the Minister of Highways during his tenure of a year. He was in alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and served under the Presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga. Later on, he won the presidential elections in 2005 and assumed the office of the President of Sri Lanka.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (19 November 2005 – 21 April 2010)
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed as Prime Minister once again under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa in November 2005. He was appointed as the Prime Minister, when Rajapaksa assumed the office of the President of Sri Lanka, and served five years from then.
D. M. Jayaratne (21 April 2010 – 9 January 2015)
D. M. Jayaratne, born in 1931, was appointed as the Prime Minister in April 2010, after the parliamentary election held in April 2010 was won by the incumbent Freedom Party. He was also appointed the Minister of Buddhasasana & Religious Affairs and served the nation as the Prime Minister till January 2015.
Caption
Of the fourteen Prime Ministers who have held office since the introduction of the position in 1947, each and every Prime Minister has worked towards the development of the country and the future generations of Sri Lanka.
