Dinesh Gunawardena
Dinesh Gunawardena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන தினேஷ் குணவர்தன | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gunawardena in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 July 2022 – 23 September 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Ranil Wickremesinghe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ranil Wickremesinghe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Harini Amarasuriya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 March 1949 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Mahajana Eksath Peramuna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Royal College Colombo, University of Oregon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Trade unionist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena (Sinhala: දිනේෂ් චන්ද්ර රූපසිංහ ගුණවර්ධන, Tamil: தினேஷ் சந்திர ரூபசிங்க குணவர்தன; born 2 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He also held 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, was briefly the de facto leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna from 2022 to 2023, and has taken cabinet positions under several previous governments, including Leader of the House from 2020 until 2022.
Born in a political family, the son of Philip Gunawardena and Kusumasiri Gunawardena, and nephew of Vivienne Goonewardene, he was educated at Royal College, Colombo and later at the University of Oregon, where he advocated pacifism in the Vietnam War. Entering politics in 1983 as a Member of Parliament from Maharagama and later Colombo, his first role in government was as Minister of Transport under Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.
In 2022, Gunawardena was appointed the Prime Minister after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned amidst the ongoing economic crisis and Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as his successor. In September 2024, Gunawardena resigned.