Ranil Wickremesinghe

9th President of Sri Lanka from July 2022 to September 2024
(Redirected from Ranil Wickremasinghe)

Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP (Sinhala: රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ, Tamil: ரணில் விக்ரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who was the 9th President of Sri Lanka from 2022 until 2024. He was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 12 May 2022 until 20 July 2022.[3] He was Prime Minister before from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004 and 2015 to 2019.


Ranil Wickremesinghe
රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ
ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க
9th President of Sri Lanka
In office
21 July 2022 – 23 September 2024
Acting: 13 July 2022 – 21 July 2022
Prime MinisterDinesh Gunawardena
Preceded byGotabaya Rajapaksa[a]
Succeeded byAnura Kumara Dissanayake
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office
12 May 2022 – 20 July 2022
PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa
Preceded byMahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded byDinesh Gunawardena
In office
15 December 2018 – 21 November 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Preceded byMahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded byMahinda Rajapaksa
In office
9 January 2015 – 26 October 2018
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Preceded byD. M. Jayaratne
Succeeded byMahinda Rajapaksa
In office
9 December 2001 – 6 April 2004
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded byRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded byMahinda Rajapaksa
In office
7 May 1993 – 18 August 1994
PresidentDingiri Banda Wijetunga
Preceded byDingiri Banda Wijetunga
Succeeded byChandrika Kumaratunga
10th Leader of the Opposition
In office
22 April 2004 – 9 January 2015
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterMahinda Rajapaksa
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
D. M. Jayaratne
Preceded byMahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded byNimal Siripala de Silva
In office
28 October 1994 – 10 October 2001
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Prime MinisterSirimavo Bandaranaike
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Preceded byGamini Dissanayake
Succeeded byRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Personal details
Born
Ranil Wickremesinghe

(1949-03-24) 24 March 1949 (age 75)
Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyUnited National Party
Spouse(s)
(m. 1994)
Relations
Parents
Residence115 Fifth Lane
Alma materUniversity of Ceylon
ProfessionAttorney at law
WebsiteOfficial website
Other offices held

Before, he was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka two times, from 7 May 1993 to 19 August 1994 and from 9 December 2001 to 6 April 2004. A member of the United National Party he was nominated as party leader in November 1994. He is also the leader of the United National Front having been nominated head of the organization in October 2009.

On 9 July 2022, Wickremesinghe announced he was ready to resign to make way for an all-party government as protesters stormed and burned his residence that day.[4][5] Later in the evening, protesters broke into the Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo and set it on fire.[6]

On 15 July 2022, Wickremesinghe was nominated as the United National Party's presidential nominee for the 2022 presidential election.[7] He was elected president on 20 July 2022 and was sworn-in the next day.[8]

Wickremesinghe lost his re-election in 2024, winning 17.2% of the vote.

References

change
  1. Marian, Teena (14 July 2022). "Speaker yet to receive GRs resignation". News First. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  2. Jayasinghe, Uditha (14 July 2022). "Sri Lanka awaits president's resignation after flight". Reuters. Colombo. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  3. "RANIL SWORN IN AS PM - Top Story | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  4. "Sri Lanka PM 'willing to resign' after President's House stormed". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  5. "After Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe resigns, protesters set his house on fire". CBS News. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  6. "Sri Lankan crisis: Protesters set PM Ranil Wickremesinghe's residence on fire". Hindustan Times News. 2022-07-09. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  7. "SLPP to support Ranil in parliamentary vote for president". Ada Derana. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  8. Stepansky, Joseph (20 July 2022). "Sri Lanka live news: Ranil Wickremesinghe elected president". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  1. Rajapaksa did not resign on 13 July as promised. Wickremesinghe assumed presidential duties as acting president.[1][2]
  1. Previously known as the United National Front