Ranil Wickremasinghe
Encyclopedia
Ranil Shriyan Wickremesinghe (Sinhala: , Tamil
: ரணில் விக்ரமசிங்க), MP
, (born March 24, 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician
and current Leader of the Opposition
in the Sri Lankan parliament. He was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka twice, from May 7, 1993 to August 19, 1994 and from December 9, 2001 to April 6, 2004. A member of the United National Party
he was appointed party leader
in November 1994. He is also the leader of the United National Front having been appointed head of the alliance in October 2009.
and supremo of the Lake House group of newspapers. His paternal uncle Lakshman Wickremasinghe
was a Bishop of the Church of Sri Lanka. His maternal line consisted of newspaper barons and landowners, the Wijewardenas, who were Sinhala
Buddhists. His maternal grandfather was D. R. Wijewardena
, the founder of the Lake House
publishing empire a pro-independence activist and a financier of the independence movement. He was a nephew of J.R. Jayewardene, later President of Sri Lanka
.
, son of then Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike
and Dinesh Gunawardena
, son of socialist leader Philip Gunawardena
. Wickremasinghe entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Ceylon
, Colombo campus (now University of Colombo
). After graduation he completed the law exams at the Sri Lanka Law College
and took oaths as an advocate in 1972. Of all the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe is the only person to graduate from a local university, the remainder either not attending university or having degrees from foreign universities.
(UNP) and progressed through its ranks. He was appointed as the chief organizer of the Kelaniya
Parliamentary seat in the mid 1970s but was later appointed as the chief organizer of the Biyagama
seat, which he won in the 1977 parliamentary elections
.
and the National Youth Services Council (NYSCO), which provides vocational and career training to school leavers. Wickramasinghe was later made the Minister of Education.
, Wickremasinghe was appointed as the Minister of Industry, under which he initiated industrial reforms and established the Biyagama
Special Economic Zone. Wickramasinghe had competition from his senior colleagues in the UNP, Lalith Athulathmudali
and Gamini Dissanayake
, who had been rivals of President Premadasa. He was appointed the Leader of the House
in 1989. On May 7, 1993, Wickramasinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister after President Ranasinghe Premadasa
was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers
and Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga
was appointed acting president.
During his term he was credited for pushing the country through an impressive economic transformation and was generally backed by the business community.
(PA), and Kumaratunga was appointed Prime Minister of the country. Wickremasinghe 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 the Tamil Tigers
. Gamini Dissanayake's widow, Srima replaced him as the candidate of the UNP in the 1994 election. Securing just 35% of the vote, she lost to Chandrika Kumaratunga in all electorates except Mahiyangana
. Afterwards, Wickramasinghe was appointed as the opposition leader as well as the UNP leader.
Wickremasinghe was seen as a co-operative opposition leader who gave the government a chance to carry out its agenda in its early days.
In the 1999 election, Wickramasinghe was nominated as UNP's Presidential candidate. After a tense election campaign in the wake of the violent North Western Provincial Council election, the Tamil Tigers blasted a suicide bomb in an election campaign rally, in which President Kumaratunga lost her right eye. In the election
held two days later December 21, 1999, amidst a wave of sympathy, Kumaratunga received 51% of the popular vote to be re-elected for another term as
Executive President. The gap between Wickramasinghe and Kumaratunga was approximately 700,000 votes (6% of the valid votes). Kumaratunga was sworn in for her second term as President on December 22, 1999.
After the loss of the 1999 presidential elections
, Wickremasinghe unsuccessfully led his party in the 2000 parliamentary elections, again losing out to the PA.
However 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 opposite parties.
Although, according to the constitution, both head of state and head of government was the President, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 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.
However, his policies set off a considerable recovery in the down falling country's economy. In 2002 he was able to secure a GDP growth rate of 4.0% which was -1.5% in the previous year. During the next two years of his tenant he attained the figures 5.9% and 5.4% respectively. Also he was able to keep the inflation (annul percent increase) below 10%.
In December 2002 Ranil Wickremesinghe brought forward a solution package called Regaining Sri Lanka as a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) in order to reduce the poverty of the country and to gain debt reliefs.
.
During his relatively short tenant as the Prime Minister he was able to meet a few of the world's top leaders. He met President George W. Bush
on July 2002, for the first time after 18 years a Sri Lankan leader met the US leader in the White House
. This visit was primarily focused on building new relationships based on economical links between United States and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, US government pledged to support his peace efforts with LTTE. He also met the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair
, the Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi
and the Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee. Many of these visits were focused on the issues regarding resolving the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka
.
. He also believed that such a solution could be reached through a peaceful negotiation process with LTTE.
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 Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
(SLMM) was formed to enquire into any instance of violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement.
In the aftermath of signing CFA the island was deemed as a safe place once again, after decades of war. Specially tourism industry experienced a significant escalation where the number of tourists arrived to the country was suddenly increased. The A9 Highway was reopened up to Kilinochchi
on 15 February 2002 after 18 years. Many checkpoints and road blocks were removed in government controlled areas.
, 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 the LTTE faction during the peace talks. The Royal 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:
1. 16–18 September 2002, Bangkok
2. 31 October-3 November 2002, Bangkok
3. 2–5 December 2002, Oslo
4. 6–9 January 2003, Bangkok
5. 7–8 February 2003, Berlin
6. 18–21 March 2003, Tokyo
After the Oslo round of peace talks in December 2003, a concluding statement was declared by the Norwegian facilitators which later became known as Oslo Declaration. In this statement it 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 as one of the most significant incidents in the history of finding a political solution to the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka
.
After the 6th round of peace talks in March 2003 LTTE abruptly withdrew from the peace talks.
However in October 2003 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.
LTTE continuously violated CFA in great many occasions. In August 2007 SLMM agreed that LTTE had violated CFA in total 3830 occasions while government of Sri Lanka had violated CFA in only 351 occasions. Several Sri Lankan Army intelligence operatives were allegedly killed by LTTE during this period.
Nationalistic movements of the country also widely criticized the proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority
by LTTE arguing that would divide the country. They claimed it had all the pre-requirements for a separate state for LTTE. Ultimately CFA and its consequences became the main topic of debate during Presidential Election
. It was evident from the results of the election that the Sinhalese majority of the country disapproved of CFA.
sacked three ministers of the cabinet and took over the ministries using her constitutional powers ending the uneasy coalition between her and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe while he was out of the country. Addressing the nation she claimed that this decision was taken in the interest of national security.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
also decided to ally with PA in order to defeat the Ranil Wickremesinghe's government which they claimed as a threat to the sovereignty of the country. Consequently President Chandrika Kumaratunga
dissolved the parliament on 7 February 2004
which effectively ended Ranil Wickremesinghe's regime.
as its Presidential candidate for 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, was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
.
In the Presidential Election
held on November 17, 2005, Wickremesinghe was defeated narrowly by Mahinda Rajapaksa
, who gained 50.29% of the vote to Wickramasinghe'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 back Wickramasinghe were prevented from voting by the extremist LTTE, which had enforced a boycott of the polls.
and Nanda Mathew were the first UNP members of parliament to crossover and joined the government in 1999 during Ranil Wickremesinghe's tenant as the leader of UNP. This was followed by Wijayapala Mendis, a veteran UNPer and a member of parliament since 1965, who joined the government in 2000.
In 2004 after the defeat in 2004 parliamentary election a senior member of UNP and a former minister of Ranil Wickramasinghe's 2001-2004 government, Rohitha Bogollagama
switched sides and allied with government. Soon after the defeat in the presidential election in 2005 Mahinda Samarasinghe
and Keheliya Rambukwella
defected to the government. Both were former ministers of Ranil Wickramasinghe's 2001-2004 government and senior members of the party. Mahinda Samarasinghe was the government chief whip (2001–2004) and the opposition chief whip(2004–2006). Keheliya Rambukwella had gained the highest number of votes in 2004 parliamentary election from Kandy district.
Following the controversy that resulted in the rejection of the UNP list of candidates for the Colombo Municipal Council election in 2006 that led to the UNP losing control over the Council after 50 years, prompted several senior members in the party to challenge Wickremesinghe's leadership and demanded his resignation as party leader. This group pushed to have Wickremesinghe replaced by the deputy party leader Karu Jayasuriya. However this bid fell thought due to the lack of support from the majority of the party seniors.
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 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 Ranil 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.D. Sirisena, Mahinda Wijesekara
, Naween Dissanayake
, Hemakumara Nanayakkara
, R. M. Dharmadasa Banda
, Neomal Perera
and Chandrasiri Sooriyaarachchi. However in late 2008, Jayasuriya crossed over once again to the opposition and was given back the deputy leader post.
In February 2008, Wickremasinghe was once again 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 Wickremasinghe to the post. This was amid discussion with the UNP's parliamentary group about the need for the Wickremasinghe to relinquish his post (of party leader) so that a new leader could be appointed. However, late March the party working committee decided that he should remain as the party leader.
The defection of the party stalwarts to join the government continued thereafter: Susantha Punchinilame
, Mahinda Rathnathilaka and Nandimithra Ekanayake
who were members of parliament,a famous business tycoon and UNP Anuradhapura district leaderThilanga Sumathipala
, a prominent UNP youth leader and a member of Western Provincial Council R. Duminda Silva, a former UNP member of parliament and a veteran actor Ravindra Randeniya
, opposition leader in North Western Provincial Council Ashoka Wadigamangawa all allied with the government in different occasions.
S.B. Dissanayake, a senior UNP leader, joined the government in December 2009. He was the national organizer of the party,and the opposition leader in Central Provincial Council. S.B. Dissanayake obtained the highest number of votes in Kandy District in 2009 Provincial Council Elections.
The most recent defection was the members of Parliament Johnston Fernando
and Indika Bandaranayake
joining the government.
Of all the elections UNP obtained only 30% of the total polled and UPFA was able to gain 59% of the total polled. The magin was 2,527,783
compared to 180,786 in Presidential Election
in 2005.
which will be held in 2010. Later he announced that the former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka
has been selected as the common candidate and pledged to support him.
Maitree Wickramasinghe
, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of English at the University of Kelaniya
. She is the only daughter of the late Senevi B. Wickremasinghe and Shiranee Wickremasinghe (née Bandaratilaka) of Nawala
, Koswatte.
. The society held a special meeting in Sri Lanka
in year 2004 under his influence, when he was Prime Minister
.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: ரணில் விக்ரமசிங்க), MP
Parliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
, (born March 24, 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician
Politics of Sri Lanka
Politics of Sri Lanka takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both...
and current Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament...
in the Sri Lankan parliament. He was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka twice, from May 7, 1993 to August 19, 1994 and from December 9, 2001 to April 6, 2004. A member of the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
he was appointed party leader
Party leader
In politics, the party leader is the most powerful official within a political party.The party leader is typically responsible for managing the party's relationship with the general public. As such, he or she will take a leading role in developing and communicating party policy, especially election...
in November 1994. He is also the leader of the United National Front having been appointed head of the alliance in October 2009.
Antecedents
Ranil Shriyan Wickremasinghe is the second son of Esmond and Nalini Wickremasinghe. Esmond Wickremasinghe was a press baron, an ex-SamasamajistLanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
and supremo of the Lake House group of newspapers. His paternal uncle Lakshman Wickremasinghe
Lakshman Wickremasinghe
The Rt Revd Dr Lakshman Wickremasinghe was one of the youngest Bishops in the Anglican Communion and a Human Rights activist.-Early life and education:...
was a Bishop of the Church of Sri Lanka. His maternal line consisted of newspaper barons and landowners, the Wijewardenas, who were Sinhala
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
Buddhists. His maternal grandfather was D. R. Wijewardena
D. R. Wijewardena
Don Richard Wijewardena was a Sri Lankan press baron who was a leader in the Sri Lankan independence movement. A successful entrepreneur, he established the Lake House newspapers and played major role in the independence movement.-Family:D. R...
, the founder of the Lake House
Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited
Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited , also known as Lake House, is the largest newspaper company in South East Asia. It publishes three daily, three weekend, five weekly, two monthly and three annual publications in Sinhala, English and Tamil....
publishing empire a pro-independence activist and a financier of the independence movement. He was a nephew of J.R. Jayewardene, later President of Sri Lanka
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
.
Education
Wickremesinghe was educated at Royal College, Colombo where he was a classmate and a good friend of Anura BandaranaikeAnura Bandaranaike
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker , and in several cabinet ministries as Foreign Minister briefly in 2005, Minister of Higher Education , Minister of Tourism , Minister of National Heritage and Leader of the Opposition...
, son of then Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike
Solomon Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கா)Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ்...
and Dinesh Gunawardena
Dinesh Gunawardena
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena is a Sri Lankan socialist politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister, Govt Chief Whip and as well as leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna . He is the third son of Philip Gunawardena and Kusuma Gunawardena.-Early life:He received his schooling...
, son of socialist leader Philip Gunawardena
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena introduced Trotskyism to Sri Lanka, where he is a national hero, known as 'the Father of Socialism' and as 'the Lion of Boralugoda'.-Early life & education:...
. Wickremasinghe entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
, Colombo campus (now University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
). After graduation he completed the law exams at the Sri Lanka Law College
Sri Lanka Law College
Sri Lanka Law College was established as the Ceylon Law College under the Council of Legal Education in 1874 in order to impart a formal legal education to those who wished to be lawyers in Ceylon...
and took oaths as an advocate in 1972. Of all the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe is the only person to graduate from a local university, the remainder either not attending university or having degrees from foreign universities.
Early Political career
Wickremasinghe joined the United National PartyUnited National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
(UNP) and progressed through its ranks. He was appointed as the chief organizer of the Kelaniya
Kelaniya
Kelaniya is a small town near Colombo, Sri Lanka in the Gampaha District. It is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River, which runs through the town...
Parliamentary seat in the mid 1970s but was later appointed as the chief organizer of the Biyagama
Biyagama
Biyagama is an electorate in Gampaha District, situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka....
seat, which he won in the 1977 parliamentary elections
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 1977
The 1977 Sri Lankan election heralded the beginning of a new period of Sri Lanka's history - a period of unprecedented violence.-Background:Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike had become extraordinarily unpopular. Her economic policies had led to industrial growth and self-reliance, but was...
.
Youngest cabinet minister
He was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new government of J. R. Jayawardene, and was soon promoted to the post of Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, which made him the youngest cabinet minister of Sri Lanka. During his term as deputy minister, he initiated the Sri Lanka National GuardSri Lanka National Guard
The Sri Lanka National Guard is the largest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army. It is a Volunteer Regiment made up of 32 battalions coming under the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force.-History:The Sri Lanka National Guard was founded by Lt. Col. D.W...
and the National Youth Services Council (NYSCO), which provides vocational and career training to school leavers. Wickramasinghe was later made the Minister of Education.
Prime Minister (1993–1994)
Under the Presidency of Ranasinghe PremadasaRanasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989...
, Wickremasinghe was appointed as the Minister of Industry, under which he initiated industrial reforms and established the Biyagama
Biyagama
Biyagama is an electorate in Gampaha District, situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka....
Special Economic Zone. Wickramasinghe had competition from his senior colleagues in the UNP, Lalith Athulathmudali
Lalith Athulathmudali
Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali , PC was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.-Early life and teaching career:Born to a family of Lawyers, his...
and Gamini Dissanayake
Gamini Dissanayake
Lionel Gamini Dissanayake was a prominent Sri Lankan politician and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition.-Early life:...
, who had been rivals of President Premadasa. He was appointed the Leader of the House
Leader of the House
There are several offices titled Leader of the House:* Leader of the House in the Australian Parliament* Leader of the House in the Parliament of Singapore* Leader of the House in the Parliament of Sri Lanka...
in 1989. On May 7, 1993, Wickramasinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister after President Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989...
was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
and Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was the President of Sri Lanka from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from March 3, 1989 to May 7, 1993 and the Governor of North Western province, Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1989.-Early life:...
was appointed acting president.
During his term he was credited for pushing the country through an impressive economic transformation and was generally backed by the business community.
Opposition (1994–2001)
In the 1994 parliamentary elections, the UNP lost to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's People's AlliancePeople's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
(PA), and Kumaratunga was appointed Prime Minister of the country. Wickremasinghe 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 the Tamil Tigers
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
. Gamini Dissanayake's widow, Srima replaced him as the candidate of the UNP in the 1994 election. Securing just 35% of the vote, she lost to Chandrika Kumaratunga in all electorates except Mahiyangana
Mahiyangana
Mahiyangana is a town in Badulla District, Uva Province of Sri Lanka. Some orthodox Sri Lankan Buddhists believe that Lord Gautam Buddha himself traveled from India to visit Sri Lanka and arrived at Mahiyangana to stop a war between the race of Yakshas and the race of Nagas...
. Afterwards, Wickramasinghe was appointed as the opposition leader as well as the UNP leader.
Wickremasinghe was seen as a co-operative opposition leader who gave the government a chance to carry out its agenda in its early days.
In the 1999 election, Wickramasinghe was nominated as UNP's Presidential candidate. After a tense election campaign in the wake of the violent North Western Provincial Council election, the Tamil Tigers blasted a suicide bomb in an election campaign rally, in which President Kumaratunga lost her right eye. In the election
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1999
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1999 was the fourth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 16 November 1999, and the election was held on 21 December 1999 Electoral participation was 73.31%...
held two days later December 21, 1999, amidst a wave of sympathy, Kumaratunga received 51% of the popular vote to be re-elected for another term as
Executive President. The gap between Wickramasinghe and Kumaratunga was approximately 700,000 votes (6% of the valid votes). Kumaratunga was sworn in for her second term as President on December 22, 1999.
After the loss of the 1999 presidential elections
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1999
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1999 was the fourth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 16 November 1999, and the election was held on 21 December 1999 Electoral participation was 73.31%...
, Wickremasinghe unsuccessfully led his party in the 2000 parliamentary elections, again losing out to the PA.
Prime Minister (2001–2004)
In the parliamentary general election 2001 UNF, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, won 109 seats and PA was able to obtain only 77 seats. Consequently he was able to form a new UNF government and sworn as the 17th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on 9 December 2001.However Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
still remained the President of the country. This led to a confusing situation where the President and the Prime Minister were from two opposite parties.
Although, according to the constitution, both head of state and head of government was the President, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 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.
Economic Policy
Ranil Wickremesinghe is well known for his right wing, liberal economic policies. He relied on the support of Western governments and foreign investors. During his term as Prime Minister, he made some significant reforms in order to ear n this. He emphasized in privatising government ventures and in cutting down the high public sector workforce. Ranil Wickremesinghe also stopped all recruitments to the public sector during his tenant.However, his policies set off a considerable recovery in the down falling country's economy. In 2002 he was able to secure a GDP growth rate of 4.0% which was -1.5% in the previous year. During the next two years of his tenant he attained the figures 5.9% and 5.4% respectively. Also he was able to keep the inflation (annul percent increase) below 10%.
In December 2002 Ranil Wickremesinghe brought forward a solution package called Regaining Sri Lanka as a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers are documents required by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank before a country can be considered for debt relief within the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. PRSPs are also required before low-income countries can receive aid from most major...
(PRSP) in order to reduce the poverty of the country and to gain debt reliefs.
Foreign Policy
Ranil Wickremesinghe's foreign policy during his tenant as the Prime Minister was predominantly Pro-Western. He allied with countries like United States, Great Britain, Norway and Japan. He expected their economical backing to overcome the economical crisis. He also largely depended on their guidance, especially from Norway, to resolve the ongoing Ethnic Problem in Sri LankaSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
.
During his relatively short tenant as the Prime Minister he was able to meet a few of the world's top leaders. He met President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on July 2002, for the first time after 18 years a Sri Lankan leader met the US leader in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. This visit was primarily focused on building new relationships based on economical links between United States and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, US government pledged to support his peace efforts with LTTE. He also met the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, the Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
and the Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee. Many of these visits were focused on the issues regarding resolving the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
.
Peace Process
Ranil Wickremesinghe's believed a political solution based on a United Sri Lanka was the permanent solution to the Ethnic Problem in Sri LankaSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. He also believed that such a solution could be reached through a peaceful negotiation process with LTTE.
Ceasefire Agreement (CFA)
Three months after the election Ranil Wickremesinghe's government entered into a ceasefire agreement (CFA) with LTTE. The agreement was signed on 22 February 2002 at different locations in the war zone by both parties and Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jon WestborgJon Westborg
Jon Westborg is a Norwegian diplomat.He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the Cranfield School of Management. Before becoming a diplomat he worked in the Lutheran World Federation, Save the Children Norway, the Strømme Foundation and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation...
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 Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission was established on 22 February 2002 under the terms of a ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as a body that would monitor the ceasefire and enquire into reported violations of the ceasefire agreement...
(SLMM) was formed to enquire into any instance of violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement.
In the aftermath of signing CFA the island was deemed as a safe place once again, after decades of war. Specially tourism industry experienced a significant escalation where the number of tourists arrived to the country was suddenly increased. The A9 Highway was reopened up to Kilinochchi
Kilinochchi
Kilinochchi is a city in the Kilinochchi District, part of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road some south-east of Jaffna...
on 15 February 2002 after 18 years. Many checkpoints and road blocks were removed in government controlled areas.
Peace Talks
After signing CFA Ranil Wickremesinghe held a few rounds of peace talks with LTTE between 2002-2003. Prof. G. L. PeirisG. L. Peiris
Gamini Lakshman Peiris is a Sri Lankan politician and academic...
, minister Milinda Moragoda
Milinda Moragoda
Asoka Milinda Moragoda is a Sri Lankan politician and businessman. He is Opposition Leader of the Colombo Municipal Council and was, until recently, a Senior Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapakse. He was a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament representing the Colombo District...
and minister Rauff Hakeem
Rauff Hakeem
Abdul Rauff Hibathul Hakeem , MP is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the National leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of Justice in Sri Lanka. He was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo.He is the Holder of LLB & Master of Law -...
led the government delegation and LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham
Anton Balasingham
Anton Stanislaus Balasingham was the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a militant organization...
, LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan and military leader Karuna Amman led the LTTE faction during the peace talks. The Royal 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:
1. 16–18 September 2002, Bangkok
2. 31 October-3 November 2002, Bangkok
3. 2–5 December 2002, Oslo
4. 6–9 January 2003, Bangkok
5. 7–8 February 2003, Berlin
6. 18–21 March 2003, Tokyo
After the Oslo round of peace talks in December 2003, a concluding statement was declared by the Norwegian facilitators which later became known as Oslo Declaration. In this statement it 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 as one of the most significant incidents in the history of finding a political solution to the Ethnic Problem in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
.
After the 6th round of peace talks in March 2003 LTTE abruptly withdrew from the peace talks.
However in October 2003 LTTE again showed some intentions of entering into the peace process, calling for an Interim Self Governing Authority
Interim Self Governing Authority
The Interim Self Governing Authority was a proposal issued on October 2003 by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka for power sharing in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
(ISGA). The proposal was handed over to the government through Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar.
Criticism on Peace Process
The opposition and the nationalistic movements of the country strongly opposed CFA and the overall peace process of Ranil Wickremesinghe's regime. They continuously criticized and protested against CFA claiming it as a threat to the sovereignty of the country which ultimately leads the way to a separate state for LTTE, so called Ealam. It was later claimed by Karuna Amman who defected from the LTTE during Ranil Wickremesinghe's regime that the LTTE dragged the peace talks in order to smuggle weapons and ammunition including aircraft.LTTE continuously violated CFA in great many occasions. In August 2007 SLMM agreed that LTTE had violated CFA in total 3830 occasions while government of Sri Lanka had violated CFA in only 351 occasions. Several Sri Lankan Army intelligence operatives were allegedly killed by LTTE during this period.
Nationalistic movements of the country also widely criticized the proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority
Interim Self Governing Authority
The Interim Self Governing Authority was a proposal issued on October 2003 by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka for power sharing in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
by LTTE arguing that would divide the country. They claimed it had all the pre-requirements for a separate state for LTTE. Ultimately CFA and its consequences became the main topic of debate during Presidential Election
Sri Lankan presidential election, 2005
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 2005 was the fifth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 September 2005, and the election was held on 17 November 2005. Electoral participation was 73.73%...
. It was evident from the results of the election that the Sinhalese majority of the country disapproved of CFA.
End of the Regime
Few days after LTTE proposed of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), President Chandrika KumaratungaChandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
sacked three ministers of the cabinet and took over the ministries using her constitutional powers ending the uneasy coalition between her and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe while he was out of the country. Addressing the nation she claimed that this decision was taken in the interest of national security.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
also decided to ally with PA in order to defeat the Ranil Wickremesinghe's government which they claimed as a threat to the sovereignty of the country. Consequently President Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
dissolved the parliament on 7 February 2004
which effectively ended Ranil Wickremesinghe's regime.
Opposition (2004-present)
In the 2004 Parliamentary Elections held on April 2 Ranil Wickremesinghe's UNF lost governmental office. Despite 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.Presidential Election 2005
In December 2004, Wickremesinghe was chosen by the United National PartyUnited National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
as its Presidential candidate for 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
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
, then Prime Minister, was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in...
.
In the Presidential Election
Sri Lankan presidential election, 2005
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 2005 was the fifth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 September 2005, and the election was held on 17 November 2005. Electoral participation was 73.73%...
held on November 17, 2005, Wickremesinghe was defeated narrowly by Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
, who gained 50.29% of the vote to Wickramasinghe's 48.43%. A large number of the minority Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
population in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country, who were largely expected to back Wickramasinghe were prevented from voting by the extremist LTTE, which had enforced a boycott of the polls.
Dissent within the Party
Dr. Sarath AmunugamaSarath Amunugama (politician)
Sarath Leelananda Bandara Amunugama , MP, SLAS is a Sri Lankan politician and civil servant. He was the Cabinet Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning until April 2010...
and Nanda Mathew were the first UNP members of parliament to crossover and joined the government in 1999 during Ranil Wickremesinghe's tenant as the leader of UNP. This was followed by Wijayapala Mendis, a veteran UNPer and a member of parliament since 1965, who joined the government in 2000.
In 2004 after the defeat in 2004 parliamentary election a senior member of UNP and a former minister of Ranil Wickramasinghe's 2001-2004 government, Rohitha Bogollagama
Rohitha Bogollagama
Chandrasekera Rohitha Bandara Bogollagama is a former Sri Lankan politician and was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 28 January 2007 until he was defeated in the General Elections held on 08th of April 2010, losing his seat in parliament...
switched sides and allied with government. Soon after the defeat in the presidential election in 2005 Mahinda Samarasinghe
Mahinda Samarasinghe
Mahinda Buddhadasa Samarasinghe, MP is a Sri Lankan politician and former diplomat. He is the current Cabinet Minister of Plantation in President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party chief organiser for the Agalawatte Electorate in Kalutara District...
and Keheliya Rambukwella
Keheliya Rambukwella
Keheliya Rambukwella is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.-References:*...
defected to the government. Both were former ministers of Ranil Wickramasinghe's 2001-2004 government and senior members of the party. Mahinda Samarasinghe was the government chief whip (2001–2004) and the opposition chief whip(2004–2006). Keheliya Rambukwella had gained the highest number of votes in 2004 parliamentary election from Kandy district.
Following the controversy that resulted in the rejection of the UNP list of candidates for the Colombo Municipal Council election in 2006 that led to the UNP losing control over the Council after 50 years, prompted several senior members in the party to challenge Wickremesinghe's leadership and demanded his resignation as party leader. This group pushed to have Wickremesinghe replaced by the deputy party leader Karu Jayasuriya. However this bid fell thought due to the lack of support from the majority of the party seniors.
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 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 Ranil Wickremesinghe's 2001-2004 government: Karu Jayasuriya
Karu Jayasuriya
Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya is the current deputy Leader of the United National Party , the main Opposition party of Sri Lanka and Ex Cabinet Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. He is also a Member of Parliament representing the Gampaha District...
(Deputy Leader of UNP), M. H. Mohamed
M. H. Mohamed
Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed is a Sri Lankan politician, a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former government minister.-References:...
(former speaker of the parliament), Milinda Moragoda
Milinda Moragoda
Asoka Milinda Moragoda is a Sri Lankan politician and businessman. He is Opposition Leader of the Colombo Municipal Council and was, until recently, a Senior Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapakse. He was a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament representing the Colombo District...
, G. L. Peiris
G. L. Peiris
Gamini Lakshman Peiris is a Sri Lankan politician and academic...
, Bandula Gunawardane
Bandula Gunawardane
Sumithra Arachchige Don Bandula Chandrasiri Gunawardane is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena
Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena
Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Deputy Minister of Economic Development in President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government. He is a representative of Matara District for the United People's Freedom Alliance in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He was educated at Mahinda...
, Gamini Lokuge
Gamini Lokuge
Gamini Kulawansa Lokuge is a Sri Lankan politician and Government Minister. He was born in Piliyandala in a middle class family. Lokuge started his primary education at Piliyandala and finished his higher education at Ananda Sastralaya, Kotte....
, P. Dayaratna
P. Dayaratna
Petikirige Dayaratna is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He was elected to Ampara electorate in 1977 as a Member of Parliament from the United National Party.-Biography:...
, Mano Wijeyeratne
Mano Wijeyeratne
Nissanka Manodha Wijeyeratne was Coordinating Secretary to the President, Chairman of Road Accidents Prevention Authority and Sri Lanka Freedom Party chief organiser for the Dedigama Electorate in Kegalle District he was former Member of Parliament from Kegalle District.Wijeyeratne...
, Rajitha Senaratne
Rajitha Senaratne
Dr Nambukara Helambage Rajitha Harischandra Senaratne MP is the Sri Lanka's Cabinet Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and a Member of Parliament representing the Kalutara District....
, R.D. Sirisena, Mahinda Wijesekara
Mahinda Wijesekara
Mahinda Wijesekara is a Sri Lankan politician, former cabinet minister and a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He was injured in a suicide bombing in 2009.-References:...
, Naween Dissanayake
Naween Dissanayake
Navin Eranjan Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan politician, current Cabinet Minister of State Management Reforms. A Member of Parliament for Nuwara Eliya District, he is a son of Gamini Dissanayake a Presidential candidate and grandson of Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP for the Nuwara Eliya...
, Hemakumara Nanayakkara
Hemakumara Nanayakkara
Hemakumara Wickramathilaka Nanayakkara is a Sri Lankan politician, a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former government minister.-References:...
, R. M. Dharmadasa Banda
R. M. Dharmadasa Banda
Rathnayaka Mudiyanselage Dharmadasa Banda was a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former cabinet minister...
, Neomal Perera
Neomal Perera
Gamamedaliyanage Joseph Lalith Neomal Perera is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
and Chandrasiri Sooriyaarachchi. However in late 2008, Jayasuriya crossed over once again to the opposition and was given back the deputy leader post.
In February 2008, Wickremasinghe was once again 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 Wickremasinghe to the post. This was amid discussion with the UNP's parliamentary group about the need for the Wickremasinghe to relinquish his post (of party leader) so that a new leader could be appointed. However, late March the party working committee decided that he should remain as the party leader.
The defection of the party stalwarts to join the government continued thereafter: Susantha Punchinilame
Susantha Punchinilame
Galgamuwa Widanalage Susantha Punchinilame is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
, Mahinda Rathnathilaka and Nandimithra Ekanayake
Nandimithra Ekanayake
Ekanayake Mudiyanselage Mahinda Nandimithra Ekanayake is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
who were members of parliament,a famous business tycoon and UNP Anuradhapura district leaderThilanga Sumathipala
Thilanga Sumathipala
Uduwatuwage Janapriya Thilanga Sumathipala MP is a Member of Parliament representing the Colombo District....
, a prominent UNP youth leader and a member of Western Provincial Council R. Duminda Silva, a former UNP member of parliament and a veteran actor Ravindra Randeniya
Ravindra Randeniya
Ravindra Randeniya is a Sri Lankan actor and politician. He rose to fame in Lester James Peries's film Desa Nisa in 1972, and was a popular actor during the 1970s and 1980s; He won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award in 1984 , 1985 , 1989 , and 1990 .-Early life:Randeniya was born in Dalugama, Kelaniya...
, opposition leader in North Western Provincial Council Ashoka Wadigamangawa all allied with the government in different occasions.
S.B. Dissanayake, a senior UNP leader, joined the government in December 2009. He was the national organizer of the party,and the opposition leader in Central Provincial Council. S.B. Dissanayake obtained the highest number of votes in Kandy District in 2009 Provincial Council Elections.
The most recent defection was the members of Parliament Johnston Fernando
Johnston Fernando
Johnston Xavier Fernando is a Sri Lankan politician, current Cabinet Minister of Co-operatives & Internal Trade and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.- Portfolio :• 1991 - Councilor in Kurunegala Municipal Council...
and Indika Bandaranayake
Indika Bandaranayake
Indika Bandaranayake is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
joining the government.
Provincial Elections (2008–2009)
With the success in defeating LTTE in war, government held a series of provincial elections in 2008 and 2009 for 8 provincial councils (Eastern, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, North Western, Central, Western, Uva and Southern). In all occasions UNP was soundly defeated by a large margin by UPFA.Of all the elections UNP obtained only 30% of the total polled and UPFA was able to gain 59% of the total polled. The magin was 2,527,783
compared to 180,786 in Presidential Election
Sri Lankan presidential election, 2005
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 2005 was the fifth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 September 2005, and the election was held on 17 November 2005. Electoral participation was 73.73%...
in 2005.
Presidential Election 2010
Ranil Wickramasinghe, 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 ElectionSri Lankan presidential election, 2005
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 2005 was the fifth presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 September 2005, and the election was held on 17 November 2005. Electoral participation was 73.73%...
which will be held in 2010. Later he announced that the former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka
Sarath Fonseka
Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, known as Sarath Fonseka is a former commander and General of the Sri Lanka Army and a former candidate for President of Sri Lanka. As Commander of the Army, he played an instrumental role in ending the 26 year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the...
has been selected as the common candidate and pledged to support him.
Family
In 1994, he married DrDoctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
Maitree Wickramasinghe
Maitree Wickramasinghe
Maithree Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan academic and senior lecturer at the Department of English of the University of Kelaniya and wife of Ranil Wickremasinghe former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. She is also a visiting lecturer on gender and women's studies at other educational institutions...
, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of English at the University of Kelaniya
University of Kelaniya
The University of Kelaniya is a state university of Sri Lanka. Situated just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, the University has two major campuses, seven locations, six faculties and four institutions....
. She is the only daughter of the late Senevi B. Wickremasinghe and Shiranee Wickremasinghe (née Bandaratilaka) of Nawala
Nawala
Nawala is a Suburb of Colombo near Rajagiriya, within the Kotte municipality in the western province of Sri Lanka.An up-market residential area, Nawala lies between the Commercial Capital Colombo and the Administrative Capital of Kotte. It is considered to be a part of Rajagiriya and is bordered by...
, Koswatte.
International Affiliations
He is a member of Mont Pelerin SocietyMont Pelerin Society
The Mont Pelerin Society is an international organization composed of economists , philosophers, historians, intellectuals, business leaders, and others who favour classical liberalism...
. The society held a special meeting in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in year 2004 under his influence, when he was Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
External links
- The Wickremasinghe Ancestry
- The Wijewardene Ancestry
- Hon.Ranil Wickremasinghe's Father
- Website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
- Ranil Wickramasinghe's Web Site
- United National Party website
- "Ranil Wickramasinghe: consistency is his forte"
- BBC Profile
- Ranil re-elected as Asia-Pacific Vice Chairman of IDU
- Elections in Sri Lanka 2010
Further reading
- Ranil Wickramasinghe (2005), Desapalanaya saha dharmaya, Publisher: Nugeegoda Sarasavi Prakasanayo, ISBN 955-573-378-3
- Jayaratna, A. E. (2005), Ranil Wickramasinghe: Darshanaya Saha Saame Mawatha, ISBN 955-96841-2-4