Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (born June 29, 1945) has been President of Sri Lanka since 1994. She is the leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party. She currently heads the United People's Freedom Alliance which is an electoral coalition in which the SLFP is the largest party.

Related Topics:
June 29 - 1945 - President of Sri Lanka - 1994 - Sri Lanka Freedom Party - United People's Freedom Alliance

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Her father, Solomon Bandaranaike, was a government minister at the time of her birth and later became Prime Minister - he was assassinated in 1959 when Chandrika was fourteen. After his death, his wife (Chandrika's mother) Sirimavo Bandaranaike, became the world's first female Prime Minister in 1961.

Related Topics:
Solomon Bandaranaike - Prime Minister - 1959 - Sirimavo Bandaranaike - 1961

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She spent five years at the University of Paris from where she graduated from Sciences Po (in political science). She is said to be fluent in Sinhala, English and French.

Related Topics:
University of Paris - Sciences Po - Political science - Sinhala - English - French

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Chandrika married actor and politician Vijaya Kumartunga in 1978. He was assassinated in 1988.

Related Topics:
Vijaya Kumartunga - 1978 - 1988

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Chandrika herself was elected Prime Minister of a People's Alliance government on August 19, 1994 and President in the presidential elections held shortly thereafter in November, an election which ended 17 years of UNP rule. She appointed her mother to succeed her as Prime Minister. Early in her term she made conciliatory moves towards the separatist Tamil Tigers to attempt to end the on-going civil war. These overtures failed, and she has since pursued a more military-based strategy against them.

Related Topics:
August 19 - 1994 - UNP - Tamil Tigers

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In October 1999, Kumaratunga called an early presidential election, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/480270.stm and she survived an assassination attempt at her final election rally on December 18, 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/571192.stm Kumaratunga defeated Ranil Wickremasinghe in the election on December 21 and was sworn in for another term on December 22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/574780.stm In December 2001, she suffered a setback when her political opponent Ranil Wickremasinghe took office as Sri Lanka's new prime minister. The People's Alliance lost to the UNP. However, she continued as President of Sri Lanka although her relationship with the Wickremasinghe government was a strained one.

Related Topics:
1999 - December 18 - Ranil Wickremasinghe - December 21 - December 22 - 2001

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In February 2002, Mr 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. Mrs. Kumaratunga opposed the leniency shown by the Wickremasinghe government and in May 2003, she indicated her willingness to sack Mr. Wickremasinghe's government if she felt it was making too many concessions to the rebels.

Related Topics:
2002 - Ceasefire - Norway - 2003

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On November 4, 2003, whilst the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was visiting the United States, she suspended parliament and deployed troops to take control of the country, effectively putting the country into a State of Emergency. According to news reports, this was motivated by a difference in policy between her and the Prime Minister regarding a negotiated peace settlement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE.

Related Topics:
November 4 - 2003 - Ranil Wickremesinghe - United States

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However, President Kumaratunga's People's Alliance party (PA) and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP (People's Liberation Front) formed the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in January 2004. Having won the election held on 2nd April 2004 the UPFA formed the government. The leftist JVP for the first time in its history became a partner in a Sri Lankan Government.

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However, in June 2005, the JVP left her government over a disagreement regarding a joint mechanism with LTTE rebels to share foreign aid to rebuild the tsunami-devastated Northern and Eastern areas of Sri Lanka. Now her government has been reduced to a minority in the parliament.

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Kumaratunga unsuccessfully attempted to stay in office until late 2006, according to the argument that, since the 1999 presidential election was held a year early, she should be allowed to serve that left-over year (presidential terms are for six years), but this was rejected by the Supreme Court and Kumaratunga's term will end in December 2005. The prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is running to succeed her in the November election as the candidate of her party.

Related Topics:
December 2005 - Mahinda Rajapaksa

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