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United National Party
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United National Party
The United National Party (UNP; Sinhala: එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, romanized: Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, Tamil: ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, romanized: Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci) is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades, serving as either the country's ruling party or as part of its governing coalition for several periods of the country's independent history. After suffering a major split in the lead-up to the 2020 parliamentary elections, the UNP saw a collapse in parliament, with the party only winning one national list seat and losing all its votes to the new Samagi Jana Balawegaya alliance. Currently, the UNP is a notable third party in Sri Lankan politics.
The UNP has been led by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe since 1994. The party is a member of the International Democracy Union.
The UNP was founded by D. S. Senanayake in 1946 by amalgamating three right-leaning, pro-dominion parties from the majority Sinhalese community and minority Tamil and Muslim communities. Senanayake had earlier resigned from the Ceylon National Congress due to its revised aim in achieving independence from the British Empire. The UNP represented the business community and the landed gentry, though Senanayake appealed to landless people by adopting populist policies.[citation needed] His agricultural policies allowed many landless people to relocate under productive colonization schemes,[clarification needed] which resulted in Sri Lankan agricultural production rising.
In the country's very first parliamentary elections in 1947, the UNP won a plurality of seats. After forming a coalition government with the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. Ceylon would gain independence as the Dominion of Ceylon the next year. Senanayake's pivotal role in the Sri Lankan independence movement would earn him the title of "Father of the Nation".
Senanayake refused knighthood, but maintained good relations with Britain and was a Privy Counsellor. He launched major irrigation and hydro-power projects such as the Gal Oya project (which relocated over 250,000 people), Udawalawa tank, Senanayaka tank, and several other multipurpose projects. He also renovated historic sites in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and played a major role in the Colombo plan. During his tenure, free education commenced and the University of Peradeniya opened.
However, his government proceeded to disenfranchise the plantation workers of Indian descent, the Indian Tamils, using the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 and the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Act of 1949. These measures were intended primarily to electorally undermine leftist parties in Sri Lanka.
In July 1951, long-standing UNP stalwart S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, a Buddhist nationalist leader known for his centre-left views, defected from the UNP to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as a balancing force between the UNP and Marxist parties.[citation needed] In March 1952, prime minister Senanayake died in a horseback accident and was succeeded by his son Dudley Senanayake.
During his tenure, Dudley Senanayake launched several projects to further develop the agricultural sector and was termed "Bath Dun Piya" (English: the father who offered free rice to the nation). To improve the agricultural sector, he created Bathalegoda Paddy research centre, Thalawakele Tea research centre and Lunuwila Coconut research centre. He also founded Moratuwa University, Ampara Higher Technology Institution, and many technical colleges. During this period, Bhikku University commenced and Poya was declared a government-recognized holiday.
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United National Party
The United National Party (UNP; Sinhala: එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, romanized: Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, Tamil: ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, romanized: Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci) is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades, serving as either the country's ruling party or as part of its governing coalition for several periods of the country's independent history. After suffering a major split in the lead-up to the 2020 parliamentary elections, the UNP saw a collapse in parliament, with the party only winning one national list seat and losing all its votes to the new Samagi Jana Balawegaya alliance. Currently, the UNP is a notable third party in Sri Lankan politics.
The UNP has been led by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe since 1994. The party is a member of the International Democracy Union.
The UNP was founded by D. S. Senanayake in 1946 by amalgamating three right-leaning, pro-dominion parties from the majority Sinhalese community and minority Tamil and Muslim communities. Senanayake had earlier resigned from the Ceylon National Congress due to its revised aim in achieving independence from the British Empire. The UNP represented the business community and the landed gentry, though Senanayake appealed to landless people by adopting populist policies.[citation needed] His agricultural policies allowed many landless people to relocate under productive colonization schemes,[clarification needed] which resulted in Sri Lankan agricultural production rising.
In the country's very first parliamentary elections in 1947, the UNP won a plurality of seats. After forming a coalition government with the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. Ceylon would gain independence as the Dominion of Ceylon the next year. Senanayake's pivotal role in the Sri Lankan independence movement would earn him the title of "Father of the Nation".
Senanayake refused knighthood, but maintained good relations with Britain and was a Privy Counsellor. He launched major irrigation and hydro-power projects such as the Gal Oya project (which relocated over 250,000 people), Udawalawa tank, Senanayaka tank, and several other multipurpose projects. He also renovated historic sites in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and played a major role in the Colombo plan. During his tenure, free education commenced and the University of Peradeniya opened.
However, his government proceeded to disenfranchise the plantation workers of Indian descent, the Indian Tamils, using the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 and the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Act of 1949. These measures were intended primarily to electorally undermine leftist parties in Sri Lanka.
In July 1951, long-standing UNP stalwart S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, a Buddhist nationalist leader known for his centre-left views, defected from the UNP to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as a balancing force between the UNP and Marxist parties.[citation needed] In March 1952, prime minister Senanayake died in a horseback accident and was succeeded by his son Dudley Senanayake.
During his tenure, Dudley Senanayake launched several projects to further develop the agricultural sector and was termed "Bath Dun Piya" (English: the father who offered free rice to the nation). To improve the agricultural sector, he created Bathalegoda Paddy research centre, Thalawakele Tea research centre and Lunuwila Coconut research centre. He also founded Moratuwa University, Ampara Higher Technology Institution, and many technical colleges. During this period, Bhikku University commenced and Poya was declared a government-recognized holiday.