D. M. Jayaratne

The Honourable
D. M. Jayaratne
MP
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office
21 April 2010 – 9 January 2015
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded by Ranil Wickremesinghe
Minister of Buddhasasana & Religious Affairs
In office
2010–2015
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister Himself
Minister of Plantations
In office
2007–2010
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Minister of Posts, Telecommunications & Upcountry Development
In office
2004–2007
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Minister of Agriculture
In office
2000–2001
President Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament
for Kandy District
In office
2004–2010
In office
1989–2001
Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament
for National List
In office
2010–2015
In office
2001–2004
Personal details
Born (1931-06-04) 4 June 1931
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		 United People's Freedom Alliance
Residence Visumpaya, 25 Staple St Colombo 05
Religion Theravada Buddhism

Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (Sinhalese: දිසානායක මුදියන්සේලාගේ ජයරත්න,Tamil: திசாநாயக்க முதியன்சேலாகே ஜயரத்ன; born 4 June 1931 [1]) known as D. M. "Di Mu" Jayaratne [2] is a veteran Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. A founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Jayaratne was first elected to parliament in 1970. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 2010.[3]

Early life

D. M. Jayaratne was born on 4 June 1931. He was educated at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya in Gampola, a town just outside Kandy. Following the founding of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Kandy in 1951 by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Jayaratne worked as a teacher at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya. He later worked as Postmaster at Doluwa from 1960 to 1962.[4]

Politics

Jayaratne first entered parliament following the 1970 general election, obtaining 14,463 votes as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidate in the Gampola electorate, and defeating W.P.B. Dissanayake of the United National Party (UNP).[5] He was subsequently defeated by Dissanayake in the 1977 election in which just 8 members of the SLFP were returned to parliament.[6] He was again re-elected to parliament in 1989 from the Kandy District under the new preferential voting system. He obtained 54,290 preferential votes, topping the SLFP list in the Kandy District.[4]

Re-elected to parliament under the People's Alliance in 1994, Jayaratne was appointed Minister of Land, Agriculture and Forestry by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, entering the cabinet for the first time.[4]

Prime Minister

Following the election victory of the United People's Freedom Alliance at the 2010 general election, Jayaratne, the most senior member of the SLFP, was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 2010. Under the constitution of Sri Lanka, the Premiership is largely a ceremonial post. Along with it, he also held the Ministry of Buddha Sasana (Buddhism) and Religious Affairs.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Parliament profile
  2. ↑ :.News Line: Di Mu is new Prime Minister
  3. ↑ "D.M Jayaratne sworn in as PM", Daily Mirror, 21 April 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister is D. M Jayaratne". News.lk. 7 June 1931. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  5. ↑ "Results Of Parliamentary General Election −1970" (PDF). Department of Elections. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  6. ↑ "Results Of Parliamentary General Election −1977" (PDF). Department of Elections. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  7. ↑ VIDEO: Cabinet Ministers
Political offices
Preceded by
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake		 Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
2010–2015 		Succeeded by
Ranil Wickremesinghe
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