NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ratnasiri Wickremanayake

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (born on May 5, 1933) is the 14th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and a veteran politician. He was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by the President Mahinda Rajapakse on November 21, 2005. Speaking to journalists after being sworn in, Prime Minister Wickremanayake acknowledged the contribution made by the people to elect Rajapakse as the President. "But, they should not stop there. They should continue with their responsibility to push the Government and the President to do what country needs," he added. [1] May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... National motto: None Official languages Sinhala, Tamil Other languages English Capitals Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Largest city Colombo (former capital) President Mahinda Rajapakse Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Government Democratic Socialist Republic Constitution Second Republic 1978 Area - Total - % water Ranked 119th 65,610 kmÂ² 1. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (born November 18, 1945), Sri Lankan politician, became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on April 6, 2004, following the victory of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance in the April 2, 2004 Sri Lankan legislative elections. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ...

Unlike in India, the Sri Lankan cabinet is headed by the Executive President, who is both the Head of State and Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The role of the Prime Minister is largely nominal, as the President is the head of the executive and determines portfolio allocation and the size of the cabinet. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ...

Wickremanayake is a former Prime Minister (August 2000-December 2001) who succeeded the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike after she resigned from the position at the age of 84. He is a senior vice-president of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (April 17, 1916 - October 10, 2000) was a politician from Sri Lanka. ... The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a major political party in Sri Lanka. ...

Wickremanayake is known to toe a Sinhala-hardline position. The new Prime Minister is also one who is seen as holding hawkish views on the resolution of the decades-long separatist conflict and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Recent evidence from a Sunday Leader investigation allege his close ties to the criminal underworld and a plot to murder the head of the Tamil-owned Maharaja Corporation [2]. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

During Presidencies of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, he held the Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries portfolios. The decision to appoint Ratnasiri Wickremanayake as the Prime Minister appears to be taken at the last-minute, as his name did not figure in political circles until the night of November 21, 2005. President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Mrs. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Wickremanayake was educated in Millewa Primary school, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya and Ananda College, Colombo, a prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo and later joined Lincoln's Inn for Barrister of Law Degree but ultimately chose to enter politics rather than appear for the exam. He was elected President of the Ceylon Student's Association in the United Kingdom in 1955. Wickremanayake returned to Sri Lanka following the demise of his elder brother Munidasa who was in active politics representing the western provincial Parliamentary seat of Horana before he could sit for final Barrister's exam. On his return to Sri Lanka, he was elected to the legislature in 1960, from Horana for the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (then a part of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna alliance). Wickremanayake joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in 1962. In 1965, he was re-elected to the legislature for Horana from the SLFP. // Introduction A new daily English school for the Buddhist children was set up by the Buddhist Theosophical Society on 1st November 1886. ... Colombo (à¶šà·œà·…à¶¹ in Sinhala; à®•à¯Šà®´à¯à®®à¯à®ªà¯ in Tamil) is the largest city and primary commercial hub of Sri Lanka. ... Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, SiddhÄrtha Gautama, who lived in the 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following his death, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two... Colombo (à¶šà·œà·…à¶¹ in Sinhala; à®•à¯Šà®´à¯à®®à¯à®ªà¯ in Tamil) is the largest city and primary commercial hub of Sri Lanka. ... Part of Lincolns Inn drawn by Thomas Shepherd c. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (literally Ceylon Equal Society Party, in Sinhala: à¶½à¶‚à¶šà· à·ƒà¶¸ à·ƒà¶¸à·à¶¢ à¶´à¶šà·Šà·‚à¶º, in Tamil: à®²à®™à¯à®•à®¾ à®šà®®à®šà®®à®¾à®œà®•à¯ à®•à®Ÿà¯à®šà®¿) is a trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. ... The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (Peoples United Front) is a left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. ... The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a major political party in Sri Lanka. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Wickremanayake received his first ministerial appointment in 1970, when he was appointed Deputy Minister for Justice in the United Front government under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In 1975, Wickremanayake was appointed Minister of Plantation Industries and the next year was also Minister of Justice. Like many other party stalwarts, Wickremanayake also lost his Parliamentary seat in the landslide defeat of the SLFP in 1977. He became General Secretary of the SLFP in 1978. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (April 17, 1916 - October 10, 2000) was a politician from Sri Lanka. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

He rose to higher office in the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, becoming Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries in 1994, and also being named the leader of the SLFP parliamentary party. He became Prime Minister in 2000 after the resignation of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and briefly headed a minority SLFP government supported by the JVP for a year. His time as Prime Minister ended in October 2001 when the legislature after it became apparent that his government was about to lose a no-confidence motion. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (born June 29, 1945) was the 5th President of Sri Lanka and 4th Executive President of Sri Lanka (November 12, 1994 - November 19, 2005). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (April 17, 1916 - October 10, 2000) was a politician from Sri Lanka. ... The Peoples Liberation Front (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) is a nationalist Marxist political party in Sri Lanka. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

After the SLFP won the 2004 Parliamentary Elections, Wickremanayake was appointed Minister of Buddhist Affairs, Public Security, and Law and Order, and Deputy Minister for Defence. He held both posts until being made Prime Minister in 2005. Legislative elections were held in Sri Lanka on 2 April 2004. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Wickremanayake is seen by many as taking a harder stance on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. During his previous term as Prime Minister, he refused to consider talks with the main Tamil militant group, the LTTE, until they unambiguously renounced terrorism. He has called for Sri Lanka's family planning policies to be modified, to encourage people to have more children and thereby produce more recruits for the Sri Lankan Army[3]. As an opposition politician, he also spoke against the present ceasefire arrangements at the time they were put in place. This article needs to be updated. ... The Tamil people are an ethnic group from South Asia with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

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