First Lady of Sri Lanka
First Lady of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ආර්යා Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi Aryā; Tamil: இலங்கை முதல் பெண்மணி Ilankai Mutal Peṇmaṇi) refers to the wife of the President of Sri Lanka. To date, there have been eight women who have served in the role. The current First Lady of Sri Lanka is Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, wife of President Ranil Wickremasinghe, who has held the position since 20 July 2022. There have been no first gentlemen of Sri Lanka to date, since former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the country's only female head of state, was a widow while in office.
First Lady of Sri Lanka | |
---|---|
ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ආර්යා இலங்கை முதல் பெண்மணி | |
Incumbent Maithree Wickremesinghe since 20 July 2022 | |
Residence | President's House |
Appointer | Ranil Wickramasinghe as President of Sri Lanka |
Inaugural holder | Seelawathie Gopallawa |
Formation | 22 April 1972 |
In recent years the holders of the title have been formally or informally referred to by the title First Lady or First Lady of Sri Lanka, though there are no provisions for such in the constitution.