Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (Sinhala: චන්ද්රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග; Tamil: சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fourth executive president of Sri Lanka, from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. She previously served as the prime minister from August to November 1994 and the chief minister of the Western Province from 1993 to 1994. She is the country's first and only female president to date and the country's second female prime minister. She was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) until the end of 2005.
Chandrika Kumaratunga | |
|---|---|
චන්ද්රිකා කුමාරතුංග சந்திரிகா குமாரதுங்க | |
Kumaratunga in 2015 | |
| 5th President of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 12 November 1994 – 19 November 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Sirimavo Bandaranaike Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Ranil Wickremesinghe Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Preceded by | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 11th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 19 August 1994 – 12 November 1994 | |
| President | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Preceded by | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Succeeded by | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party | |
| In office 19 August 1994 – 19 November 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Member of Parliament for Gampaha | |
| In office 19 August 1994 – 12 November 1994 | |
| Majority | 464,588 Preferential Votes |
| 2nd Chief Minister of the Western Province | |
| In office 21 May 1993 – 20 August 1994 | |
| Governor | Suppiah Sharvananda D. M. Swaminathan |
| Preceded by | Susil Moonesinghe |
| Succeeded by | Morris Rajapaksa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chandrika Bandaranaike 29 June 1945 Colombo, British Ceylon |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Other political affiliations | People's Alliance (1994–2004) United People's Freedom Alliance (2004-2006) |
| Spouse |
Vijaya Kumaranatunga
(m. 1978; died 1988) |
| Children | Yasodhara Kumaratunga Vimukthi Kumaratunga |
| Parent(s) | Solomon Bandaranaike (father) Sirimavo Ratwatte (mother) |
| Residence | Horagolla Walauwa |
| Education | Institut d'Études Politiques d'Aix-en-Provence Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris |
| Signature | |
She was elected as president in 1994, when she defeated the UNP candidate Srima Dissanayake in largest landslide victory in Sri Lankan history, winning 62% of the total votes cast.