Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena

Last updated

Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena
Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena 003.jpg
Born(1953-06-28)28 June 1953
Deniyaya, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Alma materMorawaka Central College
Occupation Astrologer
Known forDefeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa
Opponents
SpouseMeepage Chandra Girlie
Children
  • Hansini Ruvanthika,
  • Thilanka Sandamalie
Website Official Website

'Sumanadasa Tilak Abeygunawardena (known as Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena) is a Sri Lankan astrologer, author and commentator on radio and television news. He also served as the working Director for the National Savings Bank. [1]

Contents

Astrological career

Abeygunawardena was the self-proclaimed "Royal Astrologer" [2] to the former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, [3] and his main work was identifying auspicious timing for the president's political acts. [4] Before calling presidential elections two years ahead of schedule, Rajapaksa consulted Abeygunawardena, who foresaw a "big victory" [5] not just for a third but also a fourth term in office due to Rajapaksa's "great inborn power". [6] However, Rajapaksa lost the election to his main opponent Maithripala Sirisena. Abeygunawardena initially declined to comment on this wrong prediction [7] and avoided the media, but later said that "even Nostradamus got things wrong." [8]

Personal life

He was born on 28 June 1953 to a family in Deniyaya Matara District. He is the seventh son of Don Siyadoris Abeygunawardena and Jasin Korale Arachchige Somawathie. Don Siyadoris Abeygunawardena was a village committee Chairman of Morawaka. Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena has three elder sisters, three elder brothers & another two sisters younger to him. He was educated at Morawaka Central College in Deniyaya.

Mr.Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena's Family Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena's Family(4).jpg
Mr.Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena's Family

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahinda Rajapaksa</span> President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015

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. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015.

The United People's Freedom Alliance was a political alliance in Sri Lanka founded by former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga in 2004 and dissolved by former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. A. Rajapaksa</span> Sri Lankan politician

Don Alwin Rajapaksa was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament who represented the Beliatta electorate in Hambantota district from 1947 to 1965. A founding member of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government, he was the father of two Sri Lankan Presidents; Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maithripala Sirisena</span> President of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019

Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He entered as a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa back in 2020 and ended his tenure in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamal Rajapaksa</span> Sri Lankan politician

Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. Previously he served as Minister of Ports and Aviation and the Minister for Irrigation and Water Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Democratic Front (Sri Lanka)</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The New Democratic Front is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. It was formed as a political party in 1995 after Srimani Athulathmudali, widow of assassinated politician Lalith Athulathmudali, split from the Democratic United National Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namal Rajapaksa</span> Sri Lankan politician (born 1986)

Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the eldest son of former President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and a member of parliament. He was the Minister of Youth and Sports from 2020 to 2022.

The Rajapaksa family is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in politics. It was one of Sri Lanka's most powerful families during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency, when many members of the family occupied senior positions in the Sri Lankan state. They have been particularly prominent in Sri Lankan national politics since 2005 when Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Sri Lankan presidential election</span> 7th Sri Lankan presidential election

The 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election was the 7th presidential election, held on 8 January 2015. This election was held two years ahead of schedule. Incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance's candidate, seeking a third term in office. The United National Party-led opposition coalition chose to field Maithripala Sirisena, former Minister of Health in Rajapaksa's government and general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – the main constituent party of the UPFA – as its common candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Sri Lankan parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 17 August 2015, ten months ahead of schedule, to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 15th Parliament.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka People's Front, commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is a political party in Sri Lanka. It was the ruling party in Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022 and was the largest party in parliament from 2020 to 2024. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front (SLNF) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (OSLFF), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and the party became the base for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksa family.

Victor Garvin Weerawardana Ratnayake MBE was a Sri Lankan tea planter and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 16th Parliament. 16,263,885 people were eligible to vote in the election, 31.95% of whom were young voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Sri Lankan presidential election</span> 8th Sri Lankan presidential election

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.

In 2015 a coup d'état was allegedly attempted in Sri Lanka by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in order to remain in power after he had been voted out in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election. Rajapaksa, who was expected to easily win a third term in office lost to Maithripala Sirisena, a former ally and member of the Rajapaksa administration. Though ultimately there was a peaceful transition between governments, some government officials claim Rajapaksa made an attempt to deploy the army and police to stop the counting of votes when initial results showed he was heading for defeat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumanadasa Abeywickrama</span> Sri Lankan politician

Sumanadasa Abeywickrama was a Sri Lankan politician and a Member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keerthisena Abeywickrama</span>

Keerthisena Chandradasa Abeywickrama was a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Lanka Coalition</span> Left-wing political alliance in Sri Lanka

The Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya or Supreme Lanka Coalition is a political alliance in Sri Lanka formed in 2022. The coalition is made up of seven Sri Lankan leftist and nationalist parties who were formerly part of the SLPP-led Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance, before defecting to the opposition amidst the 2022 economic crisis and political crisis. The first conference of the alliance was held on 4 September 2022. Leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) and former cabinet minister Wimal Weerawansa is the chairman of the Supreme Lanka Coalition.

References

  1. Sirimanna, Bandula (20 May 2012). "Astrologer-director quits, but NSB chairman defiant". Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. Barry, Ellen (6 January 2015). "As Vote Nears, Astrologer for Sri Lanka's President Faces Ultimate Test of His Skills". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  3. "A fault in his stars?". The Economist. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  4. Barry, Ellen (8 January 2015). "Mahinda Rajapaksa's astrologer Abeygunawardena faces the ultimate test". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  5. Perera, Amantha (7 January 2015). "Ahead of Sri Lanka election, president in unexpectedly tight race". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. Kumar, Nikhil (9 January 2015). "Sri Lanka Looks to Chart a New Course After Ousting Mahinda Rajapaksa". Time. Time. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  7. Wijeyesinghe, Chathushika (9 January 2015). ""Yanna Nona Yanna" - MR's astrologer". Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  8. "'Even Nostradamus got things wrong', says astrologer who advised Sri Lanka's president to call election". The Guardian. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.