Ranil Wickremesinghe

Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed the presidency of Sri Lanka in July 2022 following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a period of acute national instability. A career politician from Colombo, he has occupied various senior government roles since the late 1970s, including multiple terms as prime minister, and has led the United National Party since 1994.

Early Career and Legislative Entry

Born in 1949, Wickremesinghe was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, and the University of Ceylon. He qualified as a lawyer from the Ceylon Law College in 1972. Entering politics with the United National Party in the mid-1970s, he secured a parliamentary seat in 1977. Shortly thereafter, he served as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, becoming the youngest cabinet minister in the country at that time.

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Ministerial Portfolios and First Premiership

Over the subsequent decades, he held numerous ministerial positions, including Minister of Education and Minister of Industry. In 1993, he became prime minister following the assassination of President Ranasinghe Premadasa. His time in this office was marked by a focus on economic reform and maintaining the support of the domestic business community until his party's defeat in the 1994 parliamentary elections.

Presidential Tenure and Electoral History

Wickremesinghe led the UNP through several electoral cycles, including unsuccessful presidential bids in 1999 and 2005. He served as prime minister on multiple occasions, including between 2001 and 2004, 2015 and 2019, and in 2022. Following his appointment by parliament as the ninth president of Sri Lanka in July 2022, he completed his term before placing third in the 2024 presidential election with 17.27% of the vote.