Dinesh Gunawardena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන தினேஷ் குணவர்தன | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg) Gunawardena in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15thPrime Minister of Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 July 2022 – 23 September 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Ranil Wickremesinghe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ranil Wickremesinghe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Harini Amarasuriya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1949-03-02)2 March 1949 (age 76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Mahajana Eksath Peramuna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Royal College Colombo,University of Oregon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Trade unionist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena (Sinhala:දිනේෂ් චන්ද්ර රූපසිංහ ගුණවර්ධන,Tamil:தினேஷ் சந்திர ரூபசிங்க குணவர்தன; born 2 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served asPrime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He also held the positions ofMinister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government. Gunawardena has been leader of the left-wingMahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) party since 1983, was briefly thede facto leader of theSri Lanka Podujana Peramuna from 2022 to 2023,[2] and has taken cabinet positions under several previous governments, includingLeader of the House from 2020 until 2022.
Born in a political family, the son ofPhilip Gunawardena andKusumasiri Gunawardena, and nephew ofVivienne Goonewardene, he was educated atRoyal College, Colombo and later at theUniversity of Oregon, where headvocated pacifism in the Vietnam War. Entering politics in 1983 as aMember of Parliament fromMaharagama and laterColombo, his first role in government was as Minister of Transport underRatnasiri Wickremanayake.
In 2022, Gunawardena was appointed the Prime Minister after formerPresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa resigned amidst theongoing economic crisis andRanil Wickremesinghe was elected as his successor. In September 2024, Gunawardena resigned.[3]
Gunawardena was born into the political Gunawardena family on 2 March 1949.[4][5] His father,Philip Gunawardena, was known as "the Father of Sri Lankansocialism" and a key independence figure, and his mother,Kusumasiri Gunawardena, was a member of parliament. His aunt,Vivienne Goonewardene, was often considered the "foremost female figure in the Sri Lankan left".[5][6]
Educated atRoyal Primary School, Colombo andRoyal College, Colombo, he went on to study at the Netherlands School of Business.[7][8][9][5][6] He also graduated with aB.B.A. from theUniversity of Oregon, and whilst in the United States, became involved in student activism, taking part inanti-Vietnam War protests.[5]
Gunawardena later married Ramani Wathsala Kotelawela from the Kotelawela/Jayawardena family; who is the niece of General Sir John Kotelawela, the third Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.[10][11] They had one son,Yadamini, and one daughter, Sankapali.[6][11] Ramani died of undiagnosedhepatitis in the mid-1980s.[10]
After graduation from theUniversity of Oregon, Gunawardena worked inNew York City, but returned to Sri Lanka in 1972 after his father's death.[6] He was appointed to theMahajana Eksath Peramuna's (MEP) central committee in August 1973, and became general-secretary of the MEP in 1974.[5]
Gunawardena was the MEP's candidate inAvissawella at the1977 parliamentary election, but failed to get elected until he ran as the MEP's candidate in theMaharagama Electoral District at the 1983 by-election, winning and enteringParliament.[12][13] During the1989 parliamentary election, Gunawardena successfully ran as one of the MEP's candidates in the multi-memberColombo Electoral District.[14] He was again one of the MEP's candidates in Colombo District at the1994 parliamentary election, but the MEP failed to win any seats in Parliament.
On 27 August 2000, the MEP joined thePeople's Alliance (PA).[15] Gunawardena contested the2000 parliamentary election as one of the PA's candidates in Colombo District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[16]
Following the 2000 election, he was appointedMinister of Transport, and was given the additional portfolio of Environment in September 2001.[17][18] He was re-elected at the2001 parliamentary election.[19]
On 20 January 2004 theSri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and theJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) formed theUnited People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), which the MEP joined on 2 February 2004.[20][21] Gunawardena contested the2004 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Colombo District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[22] He was appointedMinister of Urban Development and Water Supply and Deputy Minister of Education after the election.[23][24] In January 2007 his cabinet portfolio was changed toMinister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development but he lost his deputy ministerial position.[25][26] He was appointedChief Government Whip in June 2008.[27]
Gunawardena was re-elected in the2010 parliamentary election, following which he was appointedMinister of Water Supply.[28][29][30] He lost his cabinet position following the2015 presidential election, albeit being re-elected.[31][32] In March 2017 he was suspended from parliamentary sittings for one week due to repeatedly disrupting proceedings.[33]
On 22 July 2022, Gunawardena was appointed Prime Minister after former PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa resigned amidst the ongoingeconomic andpolitical crises andRanil Wickremesinghe was elected as his successor by Parliament. Gunawardena and Wickremesinghe were classmates during school days.[34]
On 23 September 2024, following Wickremesinghe's defeat in thepresidential elections and the inauguration of his successor,Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Gunawardena resigned from the position of prime minister.[3]
| Election | Constituency | Party | Alliance | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 parliamentary[12] | Avissawella | MEP | 17,897 | Not elected | |
| 1983 parliamentary by[13] | Maharagama | MEP | 27,054 | Elected | |
| 1989 parliamentary[14] | Colombo District | MEP | 70,616 | Elected | |
| 1994 parliamentary | Colombo District | MEP | Not elected | ||
| 2000 parliamentary[16] | Colombo District | MEP | PA | 114,795 | Elected |
| 2001 parliamentary[19] | Colombo District | MEP | PA | 87,615 | Elected |
| 2004 parliamentary[22] | Colombo District | MEP | UPFA | 82,626 | Elected |
| 2010 parliamentary[28] | Colombo District | MEP | UPFA | 116,860 | Elected |
| 2015 parliamentary[35] | Colombo District | MEP | UPFA | 124,451 | Elected |
| 2020 parliamentary[36] | Colombo District | MEP | SLPFA | 85,287 | Elected |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President ofMahajana Eksath Peramuna 1972–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Leader ofSri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Transport 2000–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply 2004–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Water Supply and Drainage 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Education 2021–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government 2022–2024 | Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Sri Lanka 2022–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Sri Lanka | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Government Whip 2008–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of the House 2020–2022 | Succeeded by |
