Mahinda Rajapaksa

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

18 November 1945 Weerakatiya, Southern Province, British Ceylon

-

Incumbent

Sri Lankan politician; current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa MPමහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ Rajapaksa in 2018Prime Minister of Sri LankaIncumbentAssumed office 21 November 2019PresidentGotabaya RajapaksaPreceded by Ranil WickremesingheIn office 26 October 2018 – 15 December 2018PresidentMaithripala SirisenaPreceded by Ranil WickremesingheSucceeded by Ranil WickremesingheIn office 6 April 2004 – 19 November 2005PresidentChandrika KumaratungaPreceded by Ranil WickremesingheSucceeded by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake6th President of Sri LankaIn office 19 November 2005 – 9 January 2015Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake D. M. JayaratnePreceded by Chandrika KumaratungaSucceeded by Maithripala Sirisena12th Leader of the OppositionIn office 18 December 2018 – 21 November 2019PresidentMaithripala SirisenaPrime Minister Ranil WickremesinghePreceded by R. SampanthanSucceeded by Sajith PremadasaIn office 6 February 2002 – 2 April 2004PresidentChandrika KumaratungaPrime Minister Ranil WickremesinghePreceded by Ratnasiri WickremanayakeSucceeded by Ranil Wickremesinghe Cabinet posts Minister of Finance of Sri LankaIn office 22 November 2019 – 8 July 2021PresidentGotabaya RajapaksaPreceded by Mangala SamaraweeraSucceeded by Basil RajapaksaIn office 23 November 2005 – 9 January 2015PresidentHimselfPreceded by Sarath AmunugamaSucceeded by Ravi KarunanayakeMinister of Defence and Urban DevelopmentIn office 19 November 2005 – 8 January 2015PresidentHimselfPreceded by Tilak MarapanaSucceeded by Maithripala SirisenaMinister of Highways, Ports & ShippingIn office 23 April 2010 – 8 January 2015PresidentHimselfPreceded by Mangala SamaraweeraSucceeded by Kabir HashimIn office 22 April 2004 – 19 November 2005PresidentChandrika KumaratungaPreceded by Jeyaraj FernandopulleSucceeded by Mangala SamaraweeraMinister of Law and OrderIn office 26 August 2013 – 8 January 2015PresidentHimselfPreceded by Office establishedSucceeded by John AmaratungaMinistry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources DevelopmentIn office 1997 – 14 September 2001PresidentChandrika KumaratungaPreceded by Indika GunawardenaSucceeded by Mahinda WijesekaraMinister of Labour and Vocational TrainingIn office 19 August 1994 – 1997PresidentD. B. Wijetunga Chandrika KumaratungaPreceded by D. B. WijetungaSucceeded by Alavi Moulana Constituencies Member of Parliament for KurunegalaIncumbentAssumed office 17 August 2015Member of Parliament for HambantotaIn office 15 February 1989 – 19 November 2005Preceded by Constituency establishedSucceeded by Nirupama RajapaksaMember of Parliament for BeliattaIn office 27 May 1970 – 21 July 1977Preceded by D.P. AtapattuSucceeded by Ranjit Atapattu Personal detailsBornPercy Mahinda Rajapaksa (1945-11-18 ) 18 November 1945 (age 75) Weerakatiya, Southern Province, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)NationalitySri LankanPolitical partySri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (after 2018)Other political affiliationsSri Lanka Freedom Party (before 2018)Spouse(s)Shiranthi Rajapaksa (née Wickremesinghe)ChildrenNamal Yoshitha RohithaResidenceCarlton House, Tangalle Medamulana WalawwaAlma materSri Lanka Law CollegeProfessionAttorneyWebsiteOfficial website Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa, commonly known as Mahinda Rajapaksa (Sinhala: මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ code: sin promoted to code: si , Tamil: மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ code: tam promoted to code: ta ; born 18 November 1945), is a Sri Lankan politician serving as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2005. He served as President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015, as Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and as Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015. Rajapaksa is a lawyer by profession, and was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970. He served as the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from 2005 to 2015. Rajapaksa was sworn in for his first six-year term as President on 19 November 2005. He was subsequently re-elected in 2010 for a second term. Rajapaksa was defeated in his bid for a third term in the 2015 presidential election by Maithripala Sirisena, and he left office on 9 January 2015. Later that year, Rajapaksa unsuccessfully sought to become Prime Minister in the 2015 parliamentary election; that year, the United People's Freedom Alliance was defeated. He was, however, elected as the Member of Parliament for the Kurunegala District. On 26 October 2018, Rajapaksa was appointed to the office of prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena after the United People's Freedom Alliance withdrew from the unity government. The incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe, refused to accept his dismissal, stating that it was unconstitutional. This disagreement resulted in a constitutional crisis. The Sri Lankan Parliament passed two no-confidence motions brought against Rajapaksa on 14 and 16 November 2018. Failing to follow proper procedures, President Sirisena rejected both. On 3 December 2018, a court suspended Rajapaksa's powers as Prime Minister, ruling that his cabinet could not function until establishing its legitimacy. Rajapaksa resigned from the post of prime minister on 15 December 2018. Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as Prime Minister, and Rajapaksa was appointed Leader of the Opposition. He became the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in 2019, splitting the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He became Prime Minister again on 21 November 2019 after being appointed by his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had become President on 18 November after winning the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election. On 9 August 2020, Rajapaksa was sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time at a Buddhist temple on Colombo's outskirts.