1988 Sri Lankan presidential election

1988 Sri Lankan presidential election

←  1982 19 December 1988 1993  →
Turnout	55.32% ( 25.74 pp)
Nominee Ranasinghe Premadasa Sirimavo Bandaranaike Party UNP SLFP Popular vote 2,569,199 2,289,860 Percentage 50.43% 44.95%
Results by polling division
President before election J. R. Jayewardene UNP Elected President Ranasinghe Premadasa UNP

Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 19 December 1988. This was the 2nd Presidential election held in the country's history, and the Nominations were accepted on 10 November 1988. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa of the governing United National Party was elected, receiving 50.4% of all votes cast and defeating both the Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate, former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya candidate, Ossie Abeygunasekera.

The election was held amidst both the Sri Lankan Civil War and the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection. Voter turnout was only 55%, substantially lower than the previous election and the lowest turnout for a Sri Lankan presidential election.

Background

Under the provisions of the Constitution, the president is elected to a six-year term and may call for an early presidential election after completing four years of the first term. Then-incumbent president J. R. Jayawardene was inaugurated for a second term on 4 February 1983 and was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Jayawardene initially hinted at seeking a third term but abandoned the plan and endorsed Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa as the United National Party (UNP) candidate. ^[1]

Nominations

Nominations were accepted from 9:00 am to 11:00 am IST on 10 November 1988. The election date was announced by Gazette Extraordinary No. 531/12 on 11 November 1988.

Campaign

The 1988 election was contested amid political instability and violence. Both major candidates promised to abrogate the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and remove the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from the country. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the SLFP candidate, accused the government of manipulating the election. Voting did not take place in LTTE-controlled areas of the north and east.

Election-related violence

The election was held amid a wave of violence and intimidation by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurgency and retaliatory state action. According to contemporary reporting, the JVP attempted to wreck the election through bombings, assassinations, and threats aimed at voters, election officials, and political gatherings. ^[2]

In many southern towns, a JVP stronghold, entire villages remained deserted on polling day, with some polling stations lacking staff because of threats. Civilians reported fear of reprisals if they attempted to vote. In certain districts, hundreds of thousands were effectively disenfranchised. ^[3]

There were multiple violent incidents during the campaign period and on election day. Bomb attacks occurred at party meetings, shootings targeted rally attendees, and opposition workers, especially those affiliated with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and smaller parties, were killed. ^[4]

The atmosphere of coercion and terror contributed to a significantly reduced voter turnout of about 55.4 percent, well below previous elections, indicating that many voters stayed away out of fear. ^[5]

Results

Despite the looming threat of the JVP insurgents, UNP candidate Ranasinghe Premadasa won a narrow but firm victory.

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Ranasinghe Premadasa	United National Party	2,569,199	50.43
	Sirimavo Bandaranaike	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	2,289,860	44.95
	Ossie Abeygunasekera	Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya	235,719	4.63
Total			5,094,778	100.00
Valid votes			5,094,778	98.24
Invalid/blank votes			91,445	1.76
Total votes			5,186,223	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			9,375,742	55.32
Source: Election Commission

References

1. "THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION". lankalaw.net. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
2. "Violence fails to stop Sri Lankan election". The Washington Post. 20 December 1988.
3. "Sri Lankans lay lives on the line to vote. Threats from extremists and military cast pall over presidential election". The Christian Science Monitor. 20 December 1988.
4. Tides of violence: electoral bloodshed in Sri Lanka 1987–1989 (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2025-11-09.
5. "Sri Lanka opposition leader disputes election result". UPI. 21 December 1988.

• "Presidential Election - 19.12.1988" (PDF). Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
• "1988 Sri Lanka Presidential Election Results". LankaNewspapers.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2021.