Mahinda Rajapaksa
Who was Mahinda Rajapaksa?
Served as Sri Lanka's President from 2005-2015, leading the military campaign that ended the 26-year civil war against the LTTE in 2009.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Mahinda Rajapaksa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa was born on November 18, 1945, in Weeraketiya, in southern Sri Lanka. He went to Richmond College and Nalanda College before training as a lawyer and entering politics at a young age. He was first elected to the Sri Lankan Parliament in 1970 and built a political career spanning over five decades. He married Shiranthi Rajapaksa, and together they became one of the most notable political families in Sri Lanka's modern history.
He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from November 19, 2005, to January 9, 2015. During his presidency, he was also the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015. He was re-elected in 2010 but lost his bid for a third term in 2015 to Maithripala Sirisena. A major event of his presidency was the military campaign that ended Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009, which had claimed tens of thousands of lives. The way the war ended led to significant international scrutiny, with accusations of human rights violations during its final stages.
After his 2015 defeat, Rajapaksa stayed active in politics as a Member of Parliament for the Kurunegala District. In October 2018, President Sirisena appointed him as Prime Minister after the United People's Freedom Alliance left the unity government. The current Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, refused to leave office, causing a constitutional crisis. Parliament passed two no-confidence motions against Rajapaksa in November 2018, and on December 3, 2018, a court suspended his powers as prime minister. He resigned on December 15, 2018, and became the Leader of the Opposition.
In 2019, Rajapaksa became the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He returned as Prime Minister following his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa's presidential win later that year, serving from 2019 to 2022. He also took on the role of Minister of Finance again from 2019 to 2021. His tenure ended during Sri Lanka's severe economic crisis, which led to widespread public protests. He had also been Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004, before serving as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2005, showing the wide range and lasting nature of his political career.
Before Fame
Mahinda Rajapaksa was born into a politically connected family in Weeraketiya, a town in the Hambantota District of southern Sri Lanka. His father, Don Alwin Rajapaksa, was a member of parliament, which gave him an early look into Sri Lankan politics. He went to Richmond College in Galle and Nalanda College in Colombo, schools known for producing people active in public life. He later became a lawyer, which gave him a background in civic and legal matters.
He entered electoral politics in 1970 when he was first elected to parliament. He built his early reputation as a trade unionist and supporter of the rural and working-class people in southern Sri Lanka. His political base stayed anchored in the south throughout his career, and he was involved with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party for decades before eventually leading it. His repeated re-elections to parliament over the years made him one of the most enduring figures in the country's political system, eventually allowing him to run for and win the presidency in 2005.
Key Achievements
- Served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka for two terms, from 2005 to 2015.
- Oversaw the military defeat of the LTTE in 2009, ending a civil war that had lasted 26 years.
- Served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on three separate occasions: 2004–2005, 2018, and 2019–2022.
- Led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party as its leader from 2005 to 2015.
- First elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, sustaining a legislative career of more than five decades.
Did You Know?
- 01.He was awarded the Order of the Star of Palestine, one of the highest honors conferred by the Palestinian Authority.
- 02.He received an honorary doctorate from the Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2011 and another from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia in 2010.
- 03.He was first elected to parliament in 1970, at the age of 24, beginning a legislative career that would last over five decades.
- 04.His 2018 appointment as prime minister lasted only 52 days before he resigned following court intervention and parliamentary no-confidence votes.
- 05.He holds registered firearms, a notable detail among his listed personal attributes and credentials.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registered firearms | — | — |
| Honorary Doctor of the Beijing Foreign Studies University | 2011 | — |
| honorary doctor of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia | 2010 | — |
| Order of the Star of Palestine | — | — |