Dinesh Gunawardena

Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena MP
දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන தினேஷ் குணவர்தன
Gunawardena in 2020
15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office 22 July 2022 – 23 September 2024
President	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Succeeded by	Harini Amarasuriya
Cabinet positions Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government In office 18 April 2022 – 23 September 2024 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Ranil Wickremesinghe Himself Preceded by Janaka Bandara Tennakoon Minister of Education In office 16 August 2021 – 18 April 2022 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Preceded by G. L. Peiris Succeeded by Ramesh Pathirana[N 1] Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 22 November 2019 – 16 August 2021 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Preceded by Tilak Marapana Succeeded by G. L. Peiris Minister of Water Supply and Drainage In office April 2010 – 12 January 2015 Preceded by A. L. M. Athaullah Succeeded by Rauff Hakeem Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply[a] In office April 2004 – April 2010 Preceded by Gamini Atukorale Succeeded by Mahinda Rajapaksa Deputy Minister of Education of Sri Lanka In office April 2004 – January 2007 Succeeded by M. Satchithanandan Minister of Transport of Sri Lanka[b] In office October 2000 – December 2001 Preceded by Srimani Athulathmudali Succeeded by Gamini Atukorale
Parliamentary positions Leader of the House In office 3 January 2020 – 27 July 2022 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Ranil Wickremesinghe Himself Preceded by Lakshman Kiriella Succeeded by Susil Premajayantha Chief Government Whip In office 17 June 2008 – 20 January 2015 Preceded by Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Succeeded by Gayantha Karunathilaka President of Mahajana Eksath Peramuna Incumbent Assumed office 1972 Preceded by Philip Gunawardena Leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna In office July 2022 – 15 December 2023 Preceded by Mahinda Rajapaksa Succeeded by Mahinda Rajapaksa Member of Parliament In office 10 October 2000 – 24 September 2024 Constituency Colombo In office 18 May 1983[1] – 16 August 1994 Constituency Maharagama (1983–1989) Colombo (1989–1994) Preceded by Premarathne Gunasekera
Personal details
Born	(1949-03-02) 2 March 1949 (age 75) Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon
Political party	Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
Other political affiliations	Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
Alma mater	Royal College Colombo, University of Oregon
Occupation	Trade unionist
^ Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development from January 2007 to April 2010. ^ Minister of Transport and Environment from September 2001 to December 2001.

Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena (Sinhala: දිනේෂ් චන්ද්‍ර රූපසිංහ ගුණවර්ධන, Tamil: தினேஷ் சந்திர ரூபசிங்க குணவர்தன; born 2 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He also held the positions of Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government. Gunawardena has been leader of the left-wing Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) party since 1983, was briefly the de facto leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna from 2022 to 2023,^[2] and has taken cabinet positions under several previous governments, including Leader of the House from 2020 until 2022.

Born in a political family, the son of Philip Gunawardena and Kusumasiri Gunawardena, and nephew of Vivienne Goonewardene, he was educated at Royal College, Colombo and later at the University of Oregon, where he advocated pacifism in the Vietnam War. Entering politics in 1983 as a Member of Parliament from Maharagama and later Colombo, his first role in government was as Minister of Transport under Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

In 2022, Gunawardena was appointed the Prime Minister after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned amidst the ongoing economic crisis and Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as his successor. In 2024, Gunawardena resigned.^[3]

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