Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa | |
|---|---|
රණසිංහ ප්රේමදාස ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா | |
Premadasa in 1991 | |
| 3rd President of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 2 January 1989 – 1 May 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Preceded by | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Succeeded by | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| 8th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 6 February 1978 – 2 January 1989 | |
| President | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Preceded by | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Succeeded by | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Minister of Local Government | |
| In office 1977–1989 | |
| President | J.R. Jayawardene |
| Prime Minister | J.R. Jayawardene Himself |
| Preceded by | W. P. G. Ariyadasa |
| Succeeded by | Sirisena Cooray |
| In office 1968–1970 | |
| Governor General | William Gopallawa |
| Prime Minister | Dudley Senanayake |
| Preceded by | Murugeysen Tiruchelvam |
| Succeeded by | W. P. G. Ariyadasa |
| Member of Parliament for Colombo Central | |
| In office 22 March 1965 – 2 January 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Razik Fareed |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| In office 19 March 1960 – 20 July 1960 | |
| Preceded by | M. S. Themis |
| Succeeded by | Razik Fareed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 June 1924 |
| Died | 1 May 1993 (aged 68) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Party | United National Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Sajith, Dulanjali |
| Alma mater | St Joseph's College, Colombo |
| Signature | |
Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa (Sinhala: රණසිංහ ප්රේමදාස Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa; Tamil: ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 1989 until his assassination in 1993. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989, with his tenure making him the longest-serving uninterrupted Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Amongst Sri Lankans, Premadasa has left behind a mixed legacy. While he was seen as a spokesperson of the poor, common man, his handling of the country's two civil conflicts, the JVP insurrection and the Sri Lankan civil war, have been heavily criticised. He was the first person to be conferred with the Sri Lankabhimanya, Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, in 1986 by president J. R. Jayewardene.