Global InformationRanil Wickremesinghe information
Ranil Wickremesinghe | |
|---|---|
| රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ
ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க | |
 Wickremesinghe in 2022 | |
| 9th President of Sri Lanka | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 21 July 2022 Acting: 14–21 July 2022[1] | |
| Prime Minister | Dinesh Gunawardena |
| Preceded by | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 12 May 2022 – 21 July 2022 | |
| President | Gotabaya Rajapaksa Himself (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | Dinesh Gunawardena |
| In office 15 December 2018 – 21 November 2019 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Preceded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| In office 9 January 2015 – 26 October 2018 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Preceded by | D. M. Jayaratne |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| In office 9 December 2001 – 6 April 2004 | |
| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Preceded by | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| In office 7 May 1993 – 18 August 1994 | |
| President | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Preceded by | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Succeeded by | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 10th Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 April 2004 – 9 January 2015 | |
| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Prime Minister | Mahinda Rajapaksa Ratnasiri Wickremanayake D. M. Jayaratne |
| Preceded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | Nimal Siripala de Silva |
| In office 28 October 1994 – 10 October 2001 | |
| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Prime Minister | Sirimavo Bandaranaike Ratnasiri Wickremanayake |
| Preceded by | Gamini Dissanayake |
| Succeeded by | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2022–present | Minister of Defence Minister of Technology Minister of Finance Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment |
| 2015–2019 | Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs |
| 1989–1993 | Minister of Industry Leader of the House |
| 1980–1989 | Minister of Education |
| 1977–1980 | Minister of Youth Affairs & Employment |
| 1977 | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Member of Parliament for National List | |
| In office 23 June 2021 – 21 July 2022 | |
| Member of Parliament for Colombo District | |
| In office 25 August 1994 – 3 March 2020 | |
| Member of Parliament for Gampaha District | |
| In office 9 March 1989 – 24 June 1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1949 Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse |
Maithree Wickremesinghe
(m. 1994) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives |
|
| Residence | 115 Fifth Lane |
| Alma mater | Royal College, Colombo University of Ceylon |
| Profession | Attorney at law |
Other offices held
| |
Ranil Wickremesinghe[b] (born March 24, 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the 9th and current President of Sri Lanka.[2][3] He also holds several ministerial positions, including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence, Minister of Technology and Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment.
Wickremesinghe has led the United National Party since 1994. He has served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on five separate occasions, leading six governments, from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, 2018 to 2019, and for a few months in 2022.[4] He has also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015.[5]
Born to a wealthy political family, he graduated from University of Ceylon and qualified as an advocate from the Ceylon Law College in 1972. Entering active politics in the mid-1970s with the UNP, he was first elected to Parliament from the Biyagama electorate in the 1977 parliamentary elections and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, by his uncle and President J. R. Jayewardene. He was thereafter appointed as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, becoming the youngest cabinet minister in Sri Lanka.
In 1989, President Ranasinghe Premadasa, appointed Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Leader of the House. He succeeded D. B. Wijetunga as prime minister in 1993 following the assassination of Premadasa and Wijetunga's succession to the presidency. He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in November 1994 following the assassination of Gamini Dissanayake during the campaign for the 1994 presidential election.[6] Wickremesinghe was the UNP nominee in the 1999 and 2005 presidential elections, but was defeated by Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa, respectively.
On 9 January 2015, Wickremesinghe was appointed as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena, who had defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election.[7] His coalition alliance, the United National Front for Good Governance, won the 2015 parliamentary election with 106 seats. Although it fell short of an outright majority, Wickremesinghe was re-elected as prime minister, with over 35 Sri Lanka Freedom Party members joining his cabinet.[8][9] Wickremesinghe was removed as prime minister on 26 October 2018 by President Maithripala Sirisena with the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister, which Wickremesinghe refused to accept, resulting in a constitutional crisis. The crisis ended with Sirisena re-appointing Wickremesinghe as prime minister on 16 December 2018. He resigned as prime minister on 20 November 2019, and was again succeeded by Mahinda following the 2019 presidential election. He contested the 2020 parliamentary election but failed to secure a seat in Parliament.[10]
He re-entered Parliament as a National List MP of the United National Party, and was sworn in as a member of parliament on 23 June 2021.[11] In May 2022, Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.[12][13] On 9 July 2022, Wickremesinghe announced that he was willing to resign amidst mass anti-government protests that saw his personal residence set ablaze, along with the residence of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaska taken over by protestors. He agreed to resign as prime minister once a new government is formed.[14][15]
Wickremesinghe became the acting president on 14 July 2022, after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country. Rajapaksa resigned on 14 July 2022, and the same day, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as acting president of Sri Lanka. The same day, he decided to formally abolish the presidential standard and remove the style "His Excellency" when addressing the president. On 20 July 2022, Wickremesinghe was elected as the 9th President via an election by parliament.[16] On 21 July 2022, he took the presidential oath in parliament as president of Sri Lanka.[17]
- ^ "Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe sworn in as acting president - govt official". Reuters. 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe sworn in as acting president – govt official". Reuters.com. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autogeneraged2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ranil Wickremesinghe: wily fox who is Sri Lanka's new president". The Guardian. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "- Share Image". epaper.sundayobserver.lk. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Ranil Wickremesinghe – Gentlemen Politician of 4 decades, alias mature leader of the people". United National Party. Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "Sri Lanka election: shock as president Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat". The Guardian. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ Ramachandran, Sudha (13 August 2015). "Sri Lanka's Elections: Rajapaksa Tries a Comeback". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "Prime Minister Wickremesinghe Calls For Buddhist Approach: Nikkei". AsiaMirror cloned Nikkei. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ Nathaniel, Amali Mallawaarachchi and Camelia. "Ranil resigns, Mahinda takes oaths as PM today". Daily News. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Ranil Wickremesinghe re-enters Parliament as an MP". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "RANIL SWORN IN AS PM – Top Story | Daily Mirror". Dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (12 May 2022). "Sri Lanka president brings back five-time former PM in effort to ease crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "PM says he is willing to resign – Latest News | Daily Mirror". Dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Sri Lanka protesters set the prime minister's home on fire after he agrees to resign". NPR. Associated Press. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe elected president by MPs". Bbc.com. 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Ranil Wickremesinghe takes oath as President of Sri Lanka". www.indiatoday.in. 21 July 2022.
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