Chandrika Kumaratunga

Born in 1945 into a prominent Sri Lankan political family, she is the younger daughter of two former prime ministers, Solomon Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Kumaratunga entered politics in the 1970s, initially focusing on social welfare and rural development. After spending several years in exile following the assassination of her husband, Vijaya Kumaratunga, she returned to Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. In 1993, she was elected Chief Minister of the Western Province. The following year, after becoming the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, she formed the People's Alliance and led her coalition to victory in the 1994 parliamentary elections. In the presidential election held later that year, she was elected as the first female president of Sri Lanka, defeating UNP candidate Srima Dissanayake in the largest landslide victory in Sri Lankan history, securing almost 62% of the votes. In the 1999 election, Kumaratunga survived an assassination attempt during her re-election campaign and went on to win a second term, defeating UNP candidate and Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

She was responsible for the modernisation of the SLFP and the broader Sri Lankan left under the banner of “capitalism with a human face.” This marked a decisive shift from the inward-looking, state-controlled economic policies of earlier SLFP administrations ran by her parents. Kumaratunga’s approach maintained a market-oriented economy while emphasising equity and social protection, contributing to improved economic performance and broadening the appeal of her party.

She also played a key role in restoring a degree of normalcy to public life following the turbulence of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by political violence, state repression, and widespread insecurity during and after the Ranasinghe Premadasa presidency. Her administration focused on re-establishing democratic norms and reducing extra-judicial violence to bring on greater political stability. During her presidency, Kumaratunga pursued peace negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an effort to resolve the country’s long-running civil war. After the collapse of peace negotiations, Kumaratunga launched a military campaign known as the “War for Peace” during the Eelam III phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War - one of the conflict’s most intense and brutal periods of fighting. As part of a broader strategy to simultaneously isolate the LTTE politically and financially while pursuing a military solution, she succeeded in securing the group’s international isolation: many major states formally designated the LTTE a terrorist organization, cutting off key sources of funding and delivering a significant blow to its global propaganda network.

Her administration also introduced a major package of constitutional reforms, the "2000 Constitution", aimed at abolishing the executive presidency and devolving power to the Tamil people. However, the proposed reforms were never implemented due to the withdrawal of support from the opposition. Her tenure was marred by criticism of her use of presidential powers and by allegations of corruption within her administration.

Early life and family

Chandrika Bandaranaike was born on 29 June 1945, at Wentworth in Guildford Crescent, Colombo to Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike and Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike. The family moved the year later to a mansion at Rosmead Place, Colombo purchased by her paternal grandfather.

Her father S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was an Oxford educated barrister who was the Minister of Local Administration at the time of her birth. A nationalist and left-wing politician, who had by the time built up a strong following known as the Sinhala Maha Sabha. He was the only son of Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranike, the Maha Mudaliyar, the chief Ceylonese representative and advisor to the Governor of Ceylon. Her mother Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was the daughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa, Rate Mahatmaya of Balangoda during British colonial rule, who was descended from Ratwatte Dissawa, Dissawa of Matale, a signatory on behalf of the Sinhalese to the Kandyan Convention of 1815.

Kumaratunga was born into the prominent Bandaranaike family and spent her early years at their residence in Rosmead Place, Colombo, as well as at Horagolla Walauwa, her family's ancestral home. Her father, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, played a significant role in Sri Lanka’s early post-independence politics, serving as the country’s first Cabinet Minister of Health and Local Government in 1948. In 1951, he broke away from the governing party to establish the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), shaping the political landscape of the country. Contesting the elections that followed and strengthening the SLFP in the periods between elections; Bandaranaike became the Leader of the Opposition in 1952 and prime minister in 1956. As prime minister, he was responsible for putting forth significant reforms such as the nationalization of bus companies and the Port of Colombo, a prohibition on caste-based discrimination, the removal of British military bases, and the establishment of diplomatic missions with a number of Communist states. He also made Sinhala the country's only official language, thus marginalizing the Tamils as well as members of the middle-class educated elite whose first language was English. He was subsequently assassinated in 1959 when Chandrika was fourteen. Following this in 1959, his widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, assumed leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). In the 1960 general election, she led the party to victory, becoming the world's first female prime minister. Therefore, Chandrika was involved in politics from a young age along with her siblings as she was the second of three children in the family. Her elder sister Sunethra Bandaranaike became a socialite and her younger brother Anura Bandaranaike joined active politics, going on to become a cabinet minister and Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka as well as the youngest leader of the opposition.

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Education

Chandrika was educated at the St Bridget's Convent, Colombo, and enrolled at the Roman Catholic Aquinas University College, Colombo to study for a law degree. However, in 1967, she left Aquinas for France without completing her law studies, on a scholarship from the Institute of French Studies. There she spent one year at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence following a course in the French language and culture. In 1968, she went on to study at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) graduating with a diploma in political science in 1970. She thereafter enrolled in a PhD program in development economics at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, where she studied from 1970 to 1973. She is fluent in Sinhala, English and French.

Early political career

She returned to Ceylon in 1972, where her mother had become prime minister for the second time in 1970 and launched a wide-ranging programme of socialist reform, and faced a violent communist insurrection in 1971. After returning she enrolled in and became active in the SLFP which had been founded by her father and now led by her mother. In 1974, she became an executive committee member of its Women's League.

She was appointed as an Additional Principal Director in the Land Reforms Commission (LRC) which acquired nearly 228,000 hectares of private land to the state under the Land Reform Law, which imposed a ceiling of twenty hectares on privately owned land. Leaving the LRC in 1976, she became the chairman of the Janawasa Commission, which established collective farms from land acquired by the LRC. Following the defeat of her mother's SLFP government in the 1977 general election, she left government service and acted as a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations till 1979.

Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya

In 1978, she married Vijaya Kumaratunga a leading actor, and LSSP turned SLFP political activist. She supported his election campaign in the by-election in Mahara in 1983, where he lost in the recount. She left the SLFP in 1984 when Vijaya Kumaratunga formed his own party the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP) supporting his political activities against the policies of the mainstream parties. She served as the vice president of the SLMP. This resulted in her falling out with her mother and brother who were leading the SLFP at the time. On 16 February 1988, Vijaya Kumaratunga was assassinated in front of his home in Narahenpita by gunmen in the presence of his wife. Chandrika Kumaratunga briefly took over the leadership of her husband's party, and formed the United Socialist Alliance with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, and the Nava Sama Samaja Party. Although it was well organized, it lacked votes. Fearing for her life, she soon fled the country in 1988, seeking refuge in the United Kingdom. There she worked for World Institute for Development Economics Research at the United Nations University.

Return to politics

Following the end of the second JVP insurrection, Chandrika began visiting Sri Lanka in 1990 and re-engaging politics. In September 1991, the governing United National Party which had been dominating the political landscape was greatly weakened when Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake left the UNP and formed the Democratic United National Front following a failed impeachment against President Ranasinghe Premadasa. DUNF soon mobilized the opposition against the Premadasa government. Having returned permanently in 1991, Chandrika rejoined SLFP and got actively involved in politics. In 1993, Athulathmudali and Premadasa were assassinated. Following Athulathmudali's assassination, Chandrika became the principal opposition candidate in the Western provincial council election, in which she was elected as the Chief Minister of the Western Province on 21 May 1993.

Premiership (1994)

With general elections called for in 1994, she became the de facto leader of the SLFP forming a coalition called the People's Alliance, which contested the general elections. In the election, Chandrika was elected to parliament from the Gampaha District in August 1994. Achieving a slim majority in parliament by gaining the support of the Ceylon Workers' Congress, the PA formed a government with Chandrika as prime minister with her mother as a minister in the cabinet on 19 August 1994. She also succeeded her mother as the leader of the SLFP. Soon thereafter presidential elections were called for in November.

Presidency (1994–2005)

Presidential Election - 1994

Prime Minister Kumaratunga backed by the PA contested against Gamini Dissanayake, who was the leader of the opposition backed by the UNP. However, Dissanayake was soon assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber and his widow Srima Dissanayake took over his nomination. Chandrika won the presidential election in 1994 gaining 62.28% of the vote. Becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka in November 1994, she appointed her mother to succeed her as prime minister.

Economic policy

Chandrika Kumaratunga's tenure marked a significant transformation in the party's economic and political orientation. During her presidency from 1994 to 2005, she modernized the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the broader Sri Lankan left by advocating a philosophy termed “capitalism with a human face.” This represented a decisive departure from the earlier inward-looking, state-controlled economic policies associated with previous SLFP administrations, especially those under her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, policies which had led to economic stagnation, low investment, and widespread shortages. Her leadership also helped broaden the political appeal of the SLFP by shifting its traditional socialist stance toward a centrist philosophy that sought to combine free-market mechanisms with social democratic principles.

She privatized several state corporations such as Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, State Distilleries Corporation, Air Lanka among others.

She was fined by the court a sum of three million rupees for unlawful land acquisition and subsequent sale of such land for the Water's Edge development project.

Civil War

Early in her term, she made conciliatory moves toward the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in an attempt to end the ongoing civil war.

Sudu Nelum Movement

The People's Alliance government led by Kumaratunga launched the Sudu Nelum Movement, an extensive national public awareness campaign aimed at preparing the public for a peaceful settlement of the ethnic conflict. Named after the “White Lotus,” symbolizing purity, peace, and unity and spearheaded by the then Minister of Telecommunications and Media Mangala Samaraweera, the objective of the SNM was to bridge the gap between the Sinhala and Tamil communities and to create awareness amongst the public of the necessity for power sharing. The Movement organized youth camps across the island and notably held a highly successful camp for Jaffna youth in the south. By mid-1998, the SNM had established 146 branches nationwide (including in Jaffna) and two international branches in Japan, launching its second awareness phase through the “Caravan” (Thawalama): a traveling series of street performances, theatre, exhibitions, and video presentations designed to foster inter-communal understanding. Another major undertaking was the reconstruction of the Jaffna Public Library, destroyed in the 1981 anti-Tamil pogrom.

However, the peace talks and negotiations initiatied by the Kumaratunga administration unfolded as the LTTE resumed its violent campaign after violating the cease-fire and sinking two Sri Lanka Navy gunboats known as SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru on 19 April 1995.

War for Peace

After the LTTE sabotaged the peace talks, She pursued a military-based strategy against them, dubbed 'War for Peace'. This began what was arguably the most brutal phase of the Civil War, Eelam War III. The Kumaratunga Administration launched several major offensives such as Operation Riviresa (1995) which captured the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE, Operation Sath Jaya (1996) which recaptured Mullaitivu and Operation Rana Gosa (1999).

However, the armed forces suffered major set backs at to the Battle of Mullaitivu in 1996 and Battle of Kilinochchi in 1998. Her government thereafter launched Operation Jayasikurui which soon bogged down with heavy casualties.

Foreign policy

Her government, led by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar increased the recognition and acceptance of Sri Lanka on the international stage, which had been greatly affected by the riots and suppression of insurgency in the 1980s. She succeeded in having the LTTE banned internationally; with the United States and the United Kingdom proscribed the LTTE on 8 October 1997 and 28 February 2001 respectively, thereby depriving that organization of a primary source of funding. Her government re-established formal diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, which had become a major supplier of weapons to the island.

Presidential Election - 1999

In October 1999, Kumaratunga called an early presidential election. She lost vision in her right eye (permanent optic nerve damage) in an assassination attempt, by the Tamil Tigers, at her final election rally at Colombo Town Hall premises on 18 December 1999. She managed to defeat Ranil Wickremasinghe in the election held on 21 December and was sworn in for another term the next day.

Her second term saw the civil war aggravating with her government suffering major defeats against the LTTE such as the Second Battle of Elephant Pass and Bandaranaike Airport attack.

UNP Government 2001–2004

In December 2001, her party the People's Alliance lost the parliamentary election to the UNP, and her political opponent, Ranil Wickremasinghe, became Sri Lanka's new prime minister. She continued as president of Sri Lanka although her relationship with the Wickremasinghe government was a strained one.

In February 2002 Wickremasinghe's government and the LTTE signed a permanent ceasefire agreement, paving the way for talks to end the long-running conflict. In December, the government and the rebels agreed to share power during peace talks in Norway. President Kumaratunga believed Wickremasinghe was being too lenient towards the LTTE, and in May 2003 she indicated her willingness to sack the prime minister and government if she felt they were making too many concessions to the rebels. On 4 November 2003, while Prime Minister Wickremasinghe was on an official visit to the US, Kumaratunga prorogued Parliament and took over Defense, Interior, and Media ministries herself. Her opponents criticized her, calling her behavior dictatorial.

UPFA Government 2004–2005

Kumaratunga's PA and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in January 2004 and dissolved Parliament. Having won the election held on 2 April 2004, the UPFA formed a government with Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister. This marked the first time in history that the JVP became part of a ruling coalition in the Sri Lankan government. In June 2005, the JVP defected from Kumaratunga's government over a disagreement regarding a joint mechanism with LTTE rebels sharing foreign aid to rebuild the tsunami-devastated Northern and Eastern areas of Sri Lanka.

Kumaratunga's six-year term ended that year in 2005. She argued that since the 1999 election had been held one year early, she should be allowed to serve that leftover year stating that she had a secret swearing-in for her second term a year after her formal swearing-in. The Supreme Court rejected this stating that her term ended in 2005.

In the presidential elections that followed, Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected with 50.29% of the vote and succeeded Kumaratunga as president, leading all 25 parties in the UPFA. Kumaratunga was listed 25th by Forbes magazine in its "100 most powerful women" in 2005.

Post-presidency

In 2006, having remained the leader of the SLFP after leaving office, she "temporally" stepped down from the party leadership citing "continuous harassment she has faced after Mahinda Rajapaksa took office as president" and soon after left the country for self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom.

Kumaratunga is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and the Global Leadership Foundation. In November 2009, Kumaratunga was appointed to the 12-member board of directors of the Club de Madrid. She is a frequent panelist and member of the Clinton Global Initiative and advisor to its annual meeting held every September.

Kumaratunga noted in 2007: "I sincerely tried to reach a political consensus to solve the ethnic question, and tried to introduce a pluralistic constitution that would cater to the political aspirations of the Tamil people without dividing the country.″ In September 2009, Kumaratunga, on a personal visit to Kerala, India told reporters: "I too care for my life. Even though the current government is a government of my party I don't feel safe." She continued, "There is an overall lack of freedom and an atmosphere of fear prevails in the country. The basic rights of the people and media freedom are restricted in Sri Lanka." In February 2017, Kumaratunga accepted an invitation to join the eminent international Council of Patrons of the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

2015 Sri Lankan presidential election

On 21 November 2014 Kumaratunga formally announced her return to active politics at a press conference held by the country's opposition coalition, following weeks of speculation regarding her involvement in the coalition's decision-making. She successfully endorsed Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate of the opposition in the 2015 presidential election, who defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the same year, Kumaratunga supported the United National Party in the general elections to avoid Rajapaksa becoming prime minister. In 2015 she was appointed as the chairperson of office for national unity and reconciliation to overlook national unity in Sri Lanka.

2018 Maldivian presidential election

In the aftermath of the 2018 Maldivian presidential election, it was revealed that Kumaratunga was instrumental in forming the opposition alliance against incumbent President Abdulla Yameen. Kumaratunga coordinated with opposition leaders in both the Maldives and Sri Lanka, bridging trust between the disputing opposition parties to form a coalition.

2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis

During the 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis, Kumaratunga remained silent and later claimed she was not invited to the special convention of the SLFP on 4 December 2018.

2019 Sri Lankan presidential election

Kumaratunga endorsed Sajith Premadasa in the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election.

Following the election, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga largely withdrew from active politics but remained vocal on national issues. She resigned as Chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) in November 2019, shortly after receiving the 2019 Common Ground Award for her contribution to peace and reconciliation.

In January 2020, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) removed her from the post of Attanagalla organiser for supporting Premadasa in the 2019 election, contrary to the party’s stance. In April 2024, she filed legal action against former President Maithripala Sirisena, seeking to prevent him from acting as SLFP chairman.

Kumaratunga has continued to comment publicly on political and economic matters and has voiced concerns regarding her personal security and entitlements as a former president. In 2025, following the repeal of ex-presidential privileges, she announced plans to vacate her official residence while recovering from hip surgery.

Public service and philanthropy

After leaving office, Kumaratunga has remained active in public service through a range of philanthropic, educational, and civic initiatives.

2010

– Established the South Asian Policy and Research Institute (SAPRI), a non-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting peace, good governance, economic development, poverty alleviation, and regional cooperation across South Asia.

2022

– Donated books from her personal collection to educational institutions such as the BCIS (Bandaranaike Center for International Studies) Library, supporting students and academics.

2023

– Established the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy (BALPP), Sri Lanka's first institute specializing in leadership and public policy education.

2024

– Donated essential medicines to Apeksha Cancer Hospital, Maharagama (via an associated trust), marking the 25th anniversary of the bomb attack she survived and supporting cancer patients and their families.

2025

- Donated a selection of scholarly books from her personal library to the University of Colombo Library, enriching its collection with works in social sciences and humanities.

- The Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation (BNMF), chaired by Kumaratunga, donated Rs. 250 million to the government’s national disaster-recovery fund. The funds were allocated to relief, resettlement, and reconstruction efforts for communities affected by natural disasters, with the cheque handed over to the Prime Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Electoral history

Personal life

Chandrika married actor and politician Vijaya Kumaratunga in 1978, who was assassinated on 16 February 1988, outside his residence in the presence of Chandrika and their two children, then aged five and seven.

Their daughter, Yasodhara Kumaratunga born in 1980 and educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and at St George's, University of London became a medical doctor and married Roger Walker a consultant medical practitioner from Dorset. Their son, Vimukthi Kumaratunga born in 1982 and educated at the University of Bristol became a veterinary surgeon.