Chandrika Kumaratunga

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Chandrika Kumaratunga
චන්ද්‍රිකා කුමාරතුංග சந்திரிகா குமாரதுங்க
Kumaratunga in 2015
5th President of Sri Lanka
In office 12 November 1994 – 19 November 2005
Prime Minister	Sirimavo Bandaranaike Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Ranil Wickremesinghe Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by	Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Succeeded by	Mahinda Rajapaksa
11th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office 19 August 1994 – 12 November 1994
President	Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Preceded by	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Succeeded by	Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
In office 19 August 1994 – 19 November 2005
Preceded by	Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Succeeded by	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Member of Parliament for Gampaha
In office 19 August 1994 – 12 November 1994
Majority	464,588 Preferential Votes
2nd Chief Minister of the Western Province
In office 21 May 1993 – 20 August 1994
Governor	Suppiah Sharvananda D. M. Swaminathan
Preceded by	Susil Moonesinghe
Succeeded by	Morris Rajapaksa
Personal details
Born	Chandrika Bandaranaike (1945-06-29) 29 June 1945 (age 79) Colombo, British Ceylon
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political affiliations	People's Alliance (1994–2004) United People's Freedom Alliance (2004–2006)
Spouse	Vijaya Kumaranatunga ​ ​ (m. 1978; died 1988)​
Children	Yasodhara Kumaratunga Vimukthi Kumaratunga
Parent(s)	Solomon Bandaranaike (father) Sirimavo Ratwatte (mother)
Residence	Horagolla Walauwa
Education	Institut d'Études Politiques d'Aix-en-Provence Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
Signature

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (Sinhala: චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග; Tamil: சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth president of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. She previously served as the prime minister from August to November 1994 and the chief minister of the Western Province from 1993 to 1994. She is the country's first and only female president to date and the country's second female prime minister. She was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1994 to 2005.^[1][2][3]

She was elected as president in 1994, when she defeated UNP candidate Srima Dissanayake in the largest landslide victory in Sri Lankan history, winning 62% of all votes cast. She was reelected in 1999, beating UNP candidate and Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe.