Sri Lanka Appoints First Female Prime Minister In Over Two Decades

Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has appointed Harini Amarasuriya as the country’s new prime minister, marking the third time in history a woman has held the position.

Amarasuriya, a former university lecturer and current MP, was named prime minister on Tuesday. In addition to her role as prime minister, she will oversee the ministries of justice, education, and labour.

Both Dissanayake and Amarasuriya belong to the left-leaning National People’s Power alliance, which holds just three seats in Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament.

Despite their small numbers, the party is gaining attention as speculation grows about the possibility of an early parliamentary election.

“We will have the smallest cabinet in Sri Lanka’s history,” party member Namal Karunaratne told reporters, adding that parliament may be dissolved within the next 24 hours. President Dissanayake had previously indicated his intention to dissolve parliament, stating it no longer represents the people’s wishes.

Dissanayake, who has gained support for his anti-corruption and anti-poverty policies, won the recent presidential election, the first since Sri Lanka’s economic collapse in 2022.

His rise to power is significant, as he garnered just 3% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election.

Harini Amarasuriya, the new prime minister, has been a vocal advocate for free education, youth development, child protection, and gender equality. H

er appointment follows in the footsteps of Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the only other women to have held the office, both of whom came from political families.

Amarasuriya is the first woman to serve as prime minister since 2000.