Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe?

Ranil Wickremesinghe

About Ranil Wickremesinghe

Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe?

Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the President of Sri Lanka on July 20, 2022, amid an economic crisis and mass protests across the country that caused his predecessor Gotabaya Rajpaksha to flee the island nation. He is a member of the Sri Lankan parliament from the centre-right United National Party (UNP) and has held various offices in his career spanning over four decades.


Early life and education
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Wickremesinghe was born into a political family in the capital Colombo on March 24, 1949, to Press Baron, Esmond Wickremesinghe and Nalini Wickremesinghe. He completed his schooling at Royal Preparatory School and graduated from the Faculty of Law, the University of Ceylon (now the University of Colombo). He is married to Maithree Wickremesinghe, an academic and a professor at the University of Kelaniya.
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Career
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Wickremesinghe started his career as an advocate in 1972. He joined UNP, the oldest political party in Sri Lanka in the mid-1970s and won his first parliamentary poll in 1977. He was appointed the Minister of Youth Affairs & Employment and was the youngest cabinet minister in the country.

He was sworn in as Sri Lankan Prime Minister in May 1983, after associating with then president Ranasinghe Premadasa, and held the post till August 1989.? The 73-year-old has held the PM's post six times, but has never completed a full term.
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He was the leader of the Opposition when UNP lost the parliamentary election to the People's Alliance (PA) party in 1994. He again served as the leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2015.
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Wickremesinghe ?was sworn in as PM for the second time in 2001 and held the position till 2004. During his tenure, the country's foreign policy called for better ties with the west and his government held several rounds of peace talks with separatist group LTTE, and even entered a three-month ceasefire agreement in 2002.

UNP-led common candidate Maithripala Sirisena won the 2015 Sri Lankan Presidential election and Wickremesinghe was appointed as PM for the third time till 2018. In his tenure, Wickremesinghe proposed several economic reforms including a knowledge-based social market economy, Special economic zones, state-owned enterprises, and special financial and business hubs.
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Wickremesinghe held the PM's post three more times after UNP's 2018 electoral loss, with the latest being just weeks before his appointment as President. In May 2022, Wickremesinghe was appointed PM after Mahinda Rajapaksha was forced to resign following Sri Lanka's worst-ever economic crisis.
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The mass protests due to the highest-ever levels of inflation in the island nation, scarcity of basic commodities such as fuel, food, etc and large-scale unemployment forced President Gotabaya Rajpaksha to flee and send his resignation from overseas.

Following this, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the eighth president of the nation on July 21.

Latest Updates on Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan Prez Wickremesinghe instructs Cabinet to prepare for elections

2 min read Last Updated :Mar 19 2024 | 2:52 PM IST
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IOR poised to become economic hub in next 50-60 years: Wickremesinghe

4 min read Last Updated :Mar 15 2024 | 11:20 PM IST
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Sri Lanka debt restructuring makes slow progress even with 1.6% growth rate

3 min read Last Updated :Feb 07 2024 | 2:54 PM IST
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President Wickremesinghe paints positive growth in cash-strapped Sri Lanka

2 min read Last Updated :Feb 07 2024 | 12:01 PM IST
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SL achieved economic recovery due to citizens' support: Wickremesinghe

2 min read Last Updated :Feb 04 2024 | 2:11 PM IST
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Jaishankar calls on SL Prez Wickremesinghe, discusses bilateral initiatives

2 min read Last Updated :Jan 20 2024 | 3:57 PM IST
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India, Sri Lanka discuss early launch of UPI payment system in country

2 min read Last Updated :Jan 09 2024 | 6:53 PM IST
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Sri Lanka Navy ready to send ship to Red Sea to protect merchant vessels

2 min read Last Updated :Jan 08 2024 | 8:37 PM IST
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Will deploy naval vessel in Red Sea to fight Houthi attacks: Sri Lanka Prez

2 min read Last Updated :Jan 04 2024 | 4:01 PM IST
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Sri Lankan President presents budget, says economy not out of crisis yet

2 min read Last Updated :Nov 14 2023 | 12:06 AM IST
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S Lankan Prez effects 1st Cabinet reshuffle; changes health min's portfolio

2 min read Last Updated :Oct 23 2023 | 2:52 PM IST
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Sri Lankan Prez calls for stability amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict

2 min read Last Updated :Oct 15 2023 | 11:11 AM IST
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Lanka-India ferry service will help develop trade, culture: Wickremesinghe

4 min read Last Updated :Oct 14 2023 | 1:52 PM IST
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Mamata meets Sri Lankan prez at Dubai airport, invites him to WB biz summit

1 min read Last Updated :Sep 13 2023 | 11:34 AM IST
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Macron becomes 1st French president to visit Sri Lanka, pledges assistance

5 min read Last Updated :Jul 30 2023 | 6:28 AM IST
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Sri Lanka releases 15 Indian fishermen days after Wickremesinghe's visit

1 min read Last Updated :Jul 27 2023 | 3:47 PM IST
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Sri Lankan Prez to call all-party meet on implementation of 13A: Minister

3 min read Last Updated :Jul 22 2023 | 9:03 PM IST
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Expecting Sri Lankan prez's visit to impart momentum to bilateral ties: MEA

2 min read Last Updated :Jul 21 2023 | 8:00 AM IST
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Stalin urges PM Modi to take up fishermen issue with visiting Lankan Prez

4 min read Last Updated :Jul 20 2023 | 1:16 PM IST
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Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India to further cement ties

2 min read Last Updated :Jul 20 2023 | 11:56 AM IST
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