Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
Coat of Arms of Sri Lanka
Incumbent Ratnasiri Wickremanayake since 21 November 2005
Term length	6 years
Inaugural holder	Don Stephen Senanayake
Formation	14 October 1947
Succession	First
Website	[1]

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is the functional head of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka.

[edit] Overview

The Prime Minister a member of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka and its titular head. However both head of state and head of government in Sri Lanka is the President. The Prime Minister acts as the President's deputy acting on his behalf in his/her absence or incapacitation and is the first in the line of succession.

[edit] History

The Prime Minister's Office, Colombo.

The first Prime Minister of Ceylon with is Cabinet members

The post of Prime Minister of Ceylon was created in 1947 prior to independence from Britain and the formation of the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948 .In 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic the name of the post changed to Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. With a Westminster-based political system establish the Prime Minister was the head of government therefore the most powerful political office of the country at the time. This changed in 1978, with constitutional change, when the Executive Presidency was created making the President both head of state and head of government. Until 1978 the Prime minister was also the Minister of Defence and External Affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President as head of the cabinet of ministers. In the event the president dies in office the Prime Minister becomes the acting president until Parliament convenes to elect a successor or new elections could be held to elect a new president. This was the case with H.E. President Dingiri Banda Wijetunge.

The current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who was appointed by H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 21 November 2005.

[edit] List of Sri Lankan Prime Ministers

Sri Lanka

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Sri Lanka

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The following is a list of Sri Lankan Prime Ministers:

[edit] Prime Ministers of Ceylon (1948 - 1972)

• Don Stephen Senanayake (14 October 1947 - 22 March 1952)
• Dudley Shelton Senanayake (26 March 1952 - 12 October 1953)
• John Lionel Kotalawela (12 October 1953 - 12 April 1956)
• Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (12 April 1956 - 26 September 1959)
• Wijeyananda Dahanayake (26 September 1959 - 21 March 1960)
• Dudley Shelton Senanayake (21 March 1960 - 21 July 1960)
• Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (21 July 1960 - 27 March 1965)
• Dudley Shelton Senanayake (27 March 1965 - 29 May 1970)
• Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (29 May 1970 - 22 March 1972)

[edit] Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka (1972 - present)

• Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (22 March 1972 - 23 July 1977)
• Junius Richard Jayewardene (23 July 1977 - 6 February 1978 )
• Ranasinghe Premadasa (6 February 1978 - 3 March 1989)
• Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (3 March 1989 - 7 May 1993)
• Ranil Wickremesinghe (7 May 1993 - 19 August 1994)
• Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (19 August 1994 - 14 November 1994)
• Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (14 November 1994 - 10 August 2000)
• Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (10 August 2000 - 9 December 2001)
• Ranil Wickremesinghe (9 December 2001 - 6 April 2004)
• Mahinda Rajapaksa (6 April 2004 - 21 November 2005)
• Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (21 November 2005 - Present)

[edit] Other information

The official residence of the prime minister is the Prime Minister's House most commonly referred to as Temple Trees. The Prime Minister's Office is located on Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha (formerly known as Flower Road) in Colombo.

[edit] See also

• President of Sri Lanka
• Prime Minister's Office

[edit] References

• Parliament of Sri Lanka - Handbook of Parliament, Prime Ministers