The United National Party is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party,or as part of its governing coalition,for 38 of the country's 74 years of independence,including the periods 1947–1956,1965–1970,1977–1994,2001–2004 and 2015–2019. The party also controlled the executive presidency from its formation in 1978 until 1994 and again from 2022 to 2024.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015;the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005,2018,and 2019 to 2022;the Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019,and the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021.
Nambukara Helambage Rajitha Harischandra Senaratne is a Sri Lankan dentist,politician,member of parliament and former cabinet minister. He is currently a member of parliament representing Kalutara district
Anura Kumara Dissanayake,commonly referred to by his initials AKD,is a Sri Lankan politician who has been the tenth and current president of Sri Lanka since 2024. Dissanayake is the first Sri Lankan president to be elected in a second round of vote counting,and the first elected president not from Sri Lanka's traditional political parties.
Johnston Xavier Fernando is a Sri Lankan politician,former Cabinet Minister,Chief Government Whip and a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from the Kurunegala District. He belongs to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He is considered a leader of the Rajapaksa loyalist mobs that carried out violent attacks against peaceful protestors during the 9 May 'Black Monday' incident of the 2022 Sri Lankan Protests. He lost his parliamentary seat in 2024.
Weerasangilige Wimal Weerawansa is a Sri Lankan politician,Member of Parliament and current leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF). Weerawansa has served many cabinet positions,including Minister of Industries from 2020 to 2022,Minister of Small and Medium Business and Enterprise Development,Industries and Supply Chain Management from 2019 to 2020,Minister of Housing and Social Welfare in 2018 and the Minister of Construction and Housing from 2010 to 2015.
Tiran Alles,MP is a Sri Lankan businessman and politician. He is a current member of Parliament of Sri Lanka and the Minister of Public Security. Alles had entered politics as an ally of former General Sarath Fonseka and a member of parliament for Fonseka's Democratic National Alliance in 2010. Leaving parliament in 2015,he returned as a member of Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the leader of the United People's Party in 2020 and became a minister in 2022.
The Ministry of Energy is the cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for oversight of the country's energy supply via crude oil import,storage and refining,as well as sale of processed petroleum products. It is thus responsible for the maintenance of petroleum and petroleum product storage and transport facilities as well as for developing the country's natural gas and crude oil reserves.
Walakada Appuhamilage Nalinda Wajiramal Jayatissa is a Sri Lankan politician who serves as the Minister of Health and Mass Media,Chief Government Whip and Cabinet Spokesperson of Sri Lanka since November 2024. A member of the National People's Power,he was elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 2024 from Kalutara District. He was previously elected from Kalutara District in 2015 and lost at 2020 election. He is also a member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
The Constitutional Council (CC) is a 10-member constitutional authority in Sri Lanka tasked with maintaining independent commissions and monitoring its affairs. The Constitutional Council is aimed at depoliticizing the public service.
A constitutional crisis began in Sri Lanka when President Maithripala Sirisena appointed former president and member of parliament Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister on 26 October 2018 before formally dismissing the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe,resulting in two concurrent prime ministers. Wickremesinghe and the United National Party (UNP) viewed the appointment as illegal,and he refused to resign.
The 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election was the 8th presidential election,held on 16 November 2019. Incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena did not run for a second term. Gotabaya Rajapaksa,brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa,was the candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and was endorsed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Sajith Premadasa,son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa and deputy leader of the United National Party was the candidate of the ruling party.
The National People's Power (NPP) or Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) is a centre-left to left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. It was formed as a coalition of left-wing and progressive parties that aimed to present an alternative to the existing political establishment. The NPP emerged as a response to the perceived failures of traditional parties in the Sri Lankan political system. It is the current ruling party of Sri Lanka,having won the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections,and is currently the largest party in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the current leader of the party and Nihal Abeysinghe is the general secretary.
The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka was the meeting of the Parliament of Sri Lanka with its membership determined by the results of the 2020 parliamentary election held on 5 August 2020. The parliament met for the first time on 20 August 2020 and was dissolved on 24 September 2024.
Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman is a Sri Lankan politician,Member of Parliament and former Cabinet minister.
LAUGFS Gas PLC is a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) company based in Sri Lanka. The company commenced operations in 2001 and in 2010,was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange following an initial public offering. LAUGFS Gas expanded its operations to Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. In 2019,the company opened an LPG terminal at the Hambantota International Port,the largest of its kind in South Asia. LAUGFS Gas is ranked 33rd in LMD 100,an annual list of Sri Lankan listed companies by revenue. The Sri Lankan economic crisis heavily affected the operations of the company. Difficulties in securing foreign exchange have resulted in the disruption of LPG imports,shortages in the market and long queues. The company controls a number of subsidiaries but divested its Bangladesh operations in November 2022.
The following lists notable events that will occur and take place during 2024 in Sri Lanka.
The 17th Parliament of Sri Lanka is the current Parliament of Sri Lanka,with its membership determined by the results of the 2024 parliamentary election held on 14 November 2024. The parliament met for the first time on 21 November 2024.
E. M. Basnayaka is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the National People's Power. He was elected to the parliament in the 2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election representing Kandy Electoral District. He is a former local council member and Kandy District executive committee member of JVP.
Jagath Wickramaratne is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the National People's Power. He currently serves as 23rd Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He was elected to the parliament in the 2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election representing Polonnaruwa Electoral District. He is a doctor and medical administrator by profession.
