Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (Sinhala: චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග; Tamil: சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. She is the longest-serving president in Sri Lankan history. She led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1994 to 2005.

Born in 1945 into a prominent Sri Lankan political family, she is the daughter of two former prime ministers, S.W.R.D. 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 People's Alliance and led her coalition to victory in the 1994 parliamentary elections. In the Presidential Election held the same 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.

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 conflict. Arguably, one of her most significant achievements was the modernisation of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (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, particularly those under her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, which had resulted in economic stagnation, low investment, and widespread shortages. 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.

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.