List Of Heads Of State Of Sri Lanka
This is a list of the heads of state of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), from the independence of the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948 to the present day.
From 1948 to 1972, under the Ceylon Independence Act 1947 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 7), the Monarch of the United Kingdom the served as the head of state of Ceylon, and was represented in Ceylon by a Governor-General. Ceylon became a republic under the Constitution of 1972, and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial President. Since 1978, under the current constitution, the president has executive powers, serving as both the head of state and head of government.
Monarch (1948–1972)
From 1948 to 1972, the Monarch of the United Kingdom served as the head of state of Ceylon. The Governor-General of Ceylon represented the monarch and exercised the duties of the head of state.
| Portrait | Name | Reign start | Reign end | Consort | Relationship with predecessor(s) | Royal House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | George VI (1895–1952) | 4 February 1948 | 6 February 1952 | Queen Elizabeth | Position established | Windsor |
_(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg) | Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 6 February 1952 | 22 May 1972 | Prince Philip | Daughter of George VI |
Governors-General
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Appointer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore GCMG KStJ (1887–1964) | 4 February 1948 | 6 July 1949 | George VI | |
 | Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC (1887–1971) | 6 July 1949 | 17 July 1954 | |
| Elizabeth II | ||||
 | Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke GCMG KCVO KBE (1892–1978) | 17 July 1954 | 2 March 1962 | |
.jpg) | William Gopallawa MBE (1897–1981) | 2 March 1962 | 22 May 1972 |
President of Sri Lanka
Under the 1972 Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka, the President of Sri Lanka replaced the Monarch as a ceremonial head of state. The president was elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the Prime Minister would serve as acting president.
In the 1978 Constitution, the presidency was made an executive post, otherwise all other the rules were the same as in the 1972 constitution.
- Status
| No. | Portrait | President (Birth–Death) | Elected | Tenure | Political affiliation | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | |||||||
| Non-Executive President | ||||||||
| 1 | | William Gopallawa (1897–1981) | – | 22 May 1972 | 4 February 1978 | Independent | Bandaranaike Jayewardene | |
| Executive President | ||||||||
| 2 | .jpg) | J. R. Jayewardene (1906–1996) | 1982 | 4 February 1978 | 2 January 1989 | United National Party | Premadasa | |
| 3 |  | Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) | 1988 | 2 January 1989 | 1 May 1993 (assassinated) | United National Party | Wijetunga | |
| 4 | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) | – | 1 May 1993 | 7 May 1993 | United National Party | Wickremesinghe Kumaratunga | ||
| 1993 | 7 May 1993 | 12 November 1994 | ||||||
| 5 | .jpg) | Chandrika Kumaratunga (born 1945) | 1994 1999 | 12 November 1994 | 19 November 2005 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (PA/UPFA) | Bandaranaike Wickremanayake Wickremesinghe M. Rajapaksa | |
| 6 |  | Mahinda Rajapaksa (born 1945) | 2005 2010 | 19 November 2005 | 9 January 2015 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA) | Wickremanayake Jayaratne | |
| 7 | .jpg) | Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) | 2015 | 9 January 2015 | 18 November 2019 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (UPFA) | Wickremesinghe | |
| 8 |  | Gotabaya Rajapaksa (born 1949) | 2019 | 18 November 2019 | 14 July 2022 (resigned) | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPFA) | M. Rajapaksa Wickremesinghe | |
| 9 |  | Ranil Wickremesinghe (born 1949) | – | 14 July 2022 | 20 July 2022 | United National Party | Gunawardena | |
| 2022 | 20 July 2022 | Incumbent | ||||||
Standards
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Governor-General's Standard (1948–1952) -
Governor-General's Standard (1952–1972) -
Presidential Standard of William Gopallawa -
Presidential Standard of J. R. Jayewardene -
Presidential Standard of Ranasinghe Premadasa -
Presidential Standard of Dingiri Banda Wijetunga -
Presidential Standard of Chandrika Kumaratunga -
Presidential Standard of Mahinda Rajapaksa -
Presidential Standard of Maithripala Sirisena -
Presidential Standard of Gotabaya Rajapaksa
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References
External links
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