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Sajith Premadasa
Sajith Premadasa (Sinhala: සජිත් ප්රේමදාස, Tamil: சஜித் பிரேமதாச; born 12 January 1967) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District. He is the current leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Sajith Premadasa is the son of Ranasinghe Premadasa, president of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1993. He was educated at S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Royal College, Colombo and Mill Hill School before entering the London School of Economics. He was doing his postgraduate studies at the University of Maryland when his father was assassinated in 1993.
Following his father's assassination, he returned to Sri Lanka and entered politics. He was elected to parliament in 2000, representing the Hambantota District as a member the United National Party, his father's party, and was appointed Deputy Minister of Health in 2001, serving until 2004. He was appointed deputy leader of the UNP in 2011 and was appointed Minister of Housing and Samurdhi in President Maithripala Sirisena's cabinet in 2015.
Premadasa contested the 2019 presidential election as the candidate of New Democratic Front, placing second. In December 2019, he was appointed as Leader of the Opposition and a member of the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka. In 2020, Premadasa split from the UNP to lead his own political party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, and ran in the 2020 parliamentary elections as the leader and prime ministerial candidate of the new alliance. In 2024, Premadasa ran for president a second time, once again finishing in second place.
Sajith Premadasa was born on 12 January 1967 in Colombo to Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was Minister of Broadcasting and a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District at the time, and his wife Hema Premadasa. He had one sister, Dulanjali. His father was elected as the President of Sri Lanka in 1988, having served as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1989.
Sajith Premadasa was schooled at S. Thomas' Preparatory School and Royal College, he sat for his ordinary (O/L) and advanced level (A/L) examination at Mill Hill School, London. Premadasa won the A/L prize for politics and business studies and besides being appointed a prefect, also played in the first 11 cricket team for four years, captaining the side in 1986.[citation needed] A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of London, his aegrotat degree covered the areas of economics, politics and international relations. He interned in the Foreign Relations Committee under US Senator Larry Pressler, a Republican from South Dakota. Premadasa met many other influential senators, including John McCain and 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry. Whilst completing his master's degree in the United States at the University of Maryland, College Park, he returned to Sri Lanka following his father's assassination.
Sajith Premadasa entered Sri Lankan politics following the assassination of his father in 1993. Having joined his father's party, the United National Party, he was appointed district organiser of the UNP for the Hambantota District in 1994, where he launched several projects for poverty alleviation and housing development. He initiated the youth movement Tharuna Saviya, the People Development Foundation Jana Suwaya for poverty alleviation in Hambantota, and the Sasunata Aruna to aid Buddhist temples and Sunday schools in line with the 2600 Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi celebrations.
In the 2000 general election, Sajith Premadasa contested from the Hambantota district. He was elected and entered parliament, gaining 83% of the UNP preferential votes. He won 82% of the preferential votes in the 2001 general election, 84% in the 2004 general election, 89% in the 2010 general election and 86% in the 2015 general election.
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Sajith Premadasa
Sajith Premadasa (Sinhala: සජිත් ප්රේමදාස, Tamil: சஜித் பிரேமதாச; born 12 January 1967) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District. He is the current leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Sajith Premadasa is the son of Ranasinghe Premadasa, president of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1993. He was educated at S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Royal College, Colombo and Mill Hill School before entering the London School of Economics. He was doing his postgraduate studies at the University of Maryland when his father was assassinated in 1993.
Following his father's assassination, he returned to Sri Lanka and entered politics. He was elected to parliament in 2000, representing the Hambantota District as a member the United National Party, his father's party, and was appointed Deputy Minister of Health in 2001, serving until 2004. He was appointed deputy leader of the UNP in 2011 and was appointed Minister of Housing and Samurdhi in President Maithripala Sirisena's cabinet in 2015.
Premadasa contested the 2019 presidential election as the candidate of New Democratic Front, placing second. In December 2019, he was appointed as Leader of the Opposition and a member of the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka. In 2020, Premadasa split from the UNP to lead his own political party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, and ran in the 2020 parliamentary elections as the leader and prime ministerial candidate of the new alliance. In 2024, Premadasa ran for president a second time, once again finishing in second place.
Sajith Premadasa was born on 12 January 1967 in Colombo to Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was Minister of Broadcasting and a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District at the time, and his wife Hema Premadasa. He had one sister, Dulanjali. His father was elected as the President of Sri Lanka in 1988, having served as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1989.
Sajith Premadasa was schooled at S. Thomas' Preparatory School and Royal College, he sat for his ordinary (O/L) and advanced level (A/L) examination at Mill Hill School, London. Premadasa won the A/L prize for politics and business studies and besides being appointed a prefect, also played in the first 11 cricket team for four years, captaining the side in 1986.[citation needed] A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of London, his aegrotat degree covered the areas of economics, politics and international relations. He interned in the Foreign Relations Committee under US Senator Larry Pressler, a Republican from South Dakota. Premadasa met many other influential senators, including John McCain and 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry. Whilst completing his master's degree in the United States at the University of Maryland, College Park, he returned to Sri Lanka following his father's assassination.
Sajith Premadasa entered Sri Lankan politics following the assassination of his father in 1993. Having joined his father's party, the United National Party, he was appointed district organiser of the UNP for the Hambantota District in 1994, where he launched several projects for poverty alleviation and housing development. He initiated the youth movement Tharuna Saviya, the People Development Foundation Jana Suwaya for poverty alleviation in Hambantota, and the Sasunata Aruna to aid Buddhist temples and Sunday schools in line with the 2600 Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi celebrations.
In the 2000 general election, Sajith Premadasa contested from the Hambantota district. He was elected and entered parliament, gaining 83% of the UNP preferential votes. He won 82% of the preferential votes in the 2001 general election, 84% in the 2004 general election, 89% in the 2010 general election and 86% in the 2015 general election.