1994 Sri Lankan presidential election
9 November 1994
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 70.47% ( 15.15pp) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Results by polling division | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 9 November 1994. They were the third presidential elections held in the country's history. Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the governing People's Alliance was elected in a landslide victory, receiving 62% of the vote and becoming the first female President of Sri Lanka. The election marked the end of 17 years of United National Party rule in Sri Lanka.
Background
President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated on 1 May 1993 by the LTTE and was succeeded by prime minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga. Under the Constitution, a president who assumed office to fill a vacancy could not call an early presidential election. Consequently, the next presidential election was scheduled between 2 November and 2 December 1994. In August 1994, Wijetunga dissolved Parliament and called for snap general elections. The People's Alliance, led by Chandrika Kumaratunga, won a parliamentary majority, and Kumaratunga was sworn in as Prime Minister on 19 August 1994.[1][2]
Nominations for the presidential election were accepted on 7 October 1994, and the election date was officially announced via Gazette Extraordinary No. 839/9 on 26 October 1994.[3]
President Wijetunga chose not to contest the election, and the UNP instead opted to pick Opposition Leader Gamini Dissanayake as its candidate in the initial campaign. Hema Premadasa, the former First Lady, also attempted to contest the presidency, but withdrew after facing organized political harassment and negative propaganda by opposition parties.[4][5][6] The People's Alliance officially nominated Chandrika Kumaratunga as its presidential candidate.
Campaign
The campaign initially involved active competition between the UNP and the People's Alliance.
Assassination
On 24 October 1994, Gamini Dissanayake was killed in a suicide bombing carried out by the LTTE, which also caused civilian casualties. Following this event, his widow Srima Dissanayake replaced him on the ballot as the UNP candidate, and security measures were heightened nationwide in response to the attack.[7][8]
Results
Kumaratunga won the election by a record margin with 62.28% of the vote.[9] She became the first female President of Sri Lanka and was inaugurated at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on 12 November 1994.[10]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandrika Kumaratunga | People's Alliance | 4,709,205 | 62.28 | |
| Srima Dissanayake | United National Party | 2,715,283 | 35.91 | |
| Hudson Samarasinghe | Independent | 58,886 | 0.78 | |
| Harischandra Wijayatunga | Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya | 32,651 | 0.43 | |
| A. J. Ranasinghe | Independent | 22,752 | 0.30 | |
| Nihal Galappaththi | Sri Lanka Progressive Front | 22,749 | 0.30 | |
| Total | 7,561,526 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 7,561,526 | 98.03 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 151,706 | 1.97 | ||
| Total votes | 7,713,232 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 10,945,065 | 70.47 | ||
| Source: Election Commission | ||||
References
- ^ "THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION". lankalaw.net. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
- ^ AP Archive (2015-07-21). Sri Lanka - New Prime Minister Sworn In. Retrieved 2025-11-09 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). elections.gov.lk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ De Mel, Neloufer (2002). Women & the Nation's Narrative: Gender and Nationalism in the Twentieth Century Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 246. ISBN 9780742518070.
- ^ "Premadasa's Widow Indicates She May Seek Political Office". Santa Ana Orange County Register. 7 May 1993. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Why Lankan Women Shun Politics". Hindustan Times. 13 March 2007. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ "Sri Lanka election aftermath". UPI. 24 October 1994.
- ^ "Assassination of Gamini Dissanayake". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
- ^ "Results of past presidential elections in Sri Lanka" (PDF). People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ AP Archive (2015-07-21). SRI LANKA - NEW PRESIDENT SWORN IN. Retrieved 2025-11-09 – via YouTube.
- "Result of Presidential Election 1994" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-04.
- "1994 Sri Lanka Presidential Election Results". LankaNewspapers.com. 20 October 2022.
- "1994 - Presidential Election". Manthree.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-30.