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by Ranga Jayasuriya

Temple Trees. The name says it all. There cannot be any other residence in Sri Lanka which is so well-known. The official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Temple Trees has been the centre of dramatic political developments.

Ranil Wickremesinghe left Temple Trees in 1994, soon after his party was defeated in the General Election. He returned to it last week, after the United National Front swept the elections and he was sworn in as Prime Minister.

He is the 17th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in the order of succession but only the 12th person to hold that office, given that some Prime Ministers have been elected more than once.

The lawyer-turned politician first came to the PM's office on May 1, 1993 replacing Prime Minister D.B.Wijetunga who was appointed the fourth President of Sri Lanka soon after the death of President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

Mr Wickremesinghe was in office for a year, till Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga became the Prime Minister after the PA victory at the 1994 General Election. Chandrika Kumaratunga was elected President at the Presidential Election in 1994.

Her mother, former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the PM. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was Prime Minister for the next five years and was replaced by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. He was re-elected at the General Election in 2000. But his Government did not last long. Snap elections were called and Ranil Wickremesinghe won.

Sri Lanka has had Prime Ministers since 1947, when the Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake was elected on September 24 that year under the Soulbury Constitution. D.S.Senanayake was in office till his death on March 22, 1952 and replaced by his son Dudley Senanayake. But Dudley resigned 18 months after his election and was replaced by Sir John Kotelawala.

The first phase of the United National Party rule ended in 1956 with the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna led by UNP defector S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike sweeping the polls. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated on September 26, 1959 and replaced by Dr. W.Dahanayake till the next General Election. With the UNP victory at the 1960 General Election, Dudley Senanayake was reappointed Prime Minister. But the collapse of the UNP rule resulted in a snap election, which the Sri Lanka Freedom Party won.

Mr Bandaranaike's widow Sirimavo Bandaranaike was appointed Prime Minister, becoming the world's first female Head of State.

The sixth General Election in 1965 saw the winds of change. The UNP led by Dudley Senanayake returned to power and Dudley was made the Prime Minister.

Power changed hands again in 1970 with the victory of the United Front dominated by the SLFP and the Lanka Samasamaja Party.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike was appointed Prime Minister for the second time.

The next Parliamentary Election due to be held in 1975 was postponed to 1977. The UNP returned to power with a five sixth majority in Parliament. J.R.Jayewardene was appointed Prime Minister. With the introduction of the Executive Presidency under the 1978 Constitution, Prime Minister became a ceremonial post.

Ranasinghe Premadasa was appointed Prime Minister under J.R. Jayawardene, the first Executive President. J.R.Jayewardene was re-elected in 1982 and remained in power till 1989.

A General Election was not held that year.

Instead, a referendum was held to seek an extension of the term of Parliament until 1989. Prime Minister Premadasa was elected President in the Presidential Election in 1989.

The UNP also won the General Election.

Premadasa picked D.B. Wijetunga as his Prime Minister.

Premadasa was assassinated when an LTTE suicide cadre blew himself up at the UNP May Day rally in 1993. His Prime Minister D.B. Wijetunga became the President. It was to replace Wijetunga that Ranil went to Temple Trees for the first time.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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