Sri Lanka is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic,whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government,and it relies on a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament. For decades,the party system was dominated by the socialist Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the conservative United National Party. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The United National Party,often abbreviated as UNP,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.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was a Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2002. He was a Member of Parliament representing Horana electorate and later Kalutara District.
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena is a Sri Lankan politician serving as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka since 22 July 2022. He also holds the positions of Minister of Public Administration,Home Affairs,Provincial Councils and Local Government. Gunawardena has been leader of the left-wing Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) party since 1983,and has taken cabinet positions under several previous governments,including Leader of the House from 2020 until 2022.
Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a former Sri Lankan politician and military officer,who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 13 July 2022 due to months of public anger. He previously served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa,during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Sajith Premadasa is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and Member of Parliament for Colombo District. He is the current leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Dullas Daham Kumara Alahapperuma is a Sri Lankan politician and founder and current leader of the Freedom People's Congress. Alahapperuma is also a former Cabinet Minister of Information and Mass Media and a current Member of Parliament from the Matara District.
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president,who is the constitutional chief executive. The Cabinet is collectively held accountable to parliament for their policies and actions.
Janaka Wakkumbura is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and Kalawana SLPP organiser. Following the mass resignation of the Sri Lankan cabinet in the wake of the 2022 Sri Lankan protests,he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 18 April 2022. He served until 9 May 2022 following another mass resignation of the Sri Lankan cabinet.
Asanka Shehan Semasinghe is a Sri Lankan Politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura. He belongs to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He is currently serving as Minister of State for Finance,serving with Ranjith Siyambalapitiya since 8 September 2022. Following the mass resignation of the Sri Lankan cabinet in the wake of the 2022 Sri Lankan protests,he was appointed as the Minister of Trade by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 18 April 2022. He left office on May 9 following the resignation of then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and thereby the collapse of the government.
Kanchana Wijesekera is a Sri Lankan politician who is a member of parliament for Matara District. He is the son of former Cabinet Minister Mahinda Wijesekara.
The Sri Lanka People's Front,commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP),is a political party in Sri Lanka. 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 became the home for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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.
The 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka is the current Parliament of Sri Lanka,with the membership determined by the results of the 2020 parliamentary election held on 5 August 2020. According to the Constitution of Sri Lanka the maximum legislative term of the parliament is 5 years from the first meeting.
Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon is a Sri Lankan politician,former Cabinet Minister,former provincial minister and Member of Parliament. He served as the Minister of Ports and Shipping in the Cabinet of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry,PC,MP,,also known as Ali Sabry,is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the Current Minister of External Affairs serving since 22 July 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance until 9 May 2022. He was a Member of Parliament,appointed from the national list of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He also served as the Minister of Justice until 9 May 2022. He served as the defense counsel of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,chief legal adviser and President of the Muslim Federation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
Channa Jayasumana is a Sri Lankan medical academic,politician,Cabinet Minister,and member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for the Anuradhapura District.
The 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis was a political crisis in Sri Lanka due to the power struggle between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the people of Sri Lanka. It was fueled by the anti-government protests and demonstrations by the public due to the economic crisis in the country. The anti-government sentiment across various parts of Sri Lanka has triggered a state of political instability that is unprecedented in the nation's history.
The third Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet was the central government of Sri Lanka led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It was formed in April 2022 after the mass resignation of the previous cabinet and ended in May 2022 following the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
