Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, often known as CBK, was a major political figure in Sri Lanka. She served as the country's fifth president from November 12, 1994, to November 19, 2005. This period makes her the longest-serving president in Sri Lankan history.

She also led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1994 until 2006. Her leadership came during a time of great transition for the nation. She was the first woman to hold the presidency in Sri Lanka.

Kumaratunga introduced a specific economic approach called "capitalism with a human face." This was a significant change for the SLFP. Before her, the party often used state-controlled economic policies. Her new method maintained a market-oriented economy. However, it also emphasized social protection and equity. This meant she wanted the economy to grow while also protecting the people. This shift helped the economy perform better and made her party more popular.

Her presidency was also defined by her efforts to manage the Sri Lankan Civil War. She attempted to hold peace negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). When these negotiations failed, she launched a military campaign. She called this campaign the "War for Peace" during the Eelam III phase of the conflict.

At the same time, she worked to isolate the LTTE. She helped ensure that many major states designated the LTTE as a terrorist organization. This move cut off the group's funding and damaged its global propaganda.

Beyond war and economics, Kumaratunga worked to restore democratic norms. She wanted to bring stability to a country that had faced political violence and state repression. This period of insecurity had occurred during the presidency of Ranasinghe Premadasa. She focused on reducing extra-judicial violence to help public life return to normal. She also proposed the "2000 Constitution." This major reform aimed to abolish the executive presidency. It also sought to devolve power to the Tamil people. However, the opposition withdrew their support, so the reforms were never implemented.

Kumaratunga was born into a very prominent political family on June 29, 1945. Her father, Solomon Bandaranaike, was a prime minister and a nationalist politician. He founded the SLFP in 1951.

Her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, also became prime minister. She was the first female prime minister in the world. This family history deeply influenced Chandrika's entry into politics. She began focusing on social welfare and rural development in the 1970s.

Her path to the presidency included many personal and political challenges. In 1988, her husband, Vijaya Kumaratunga, was assassinated. Following this, she briefly led his party, the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP). Fearing for her safety, she lived in exile in the United Kingdom for a time. She worked for the United Nations University while there. She returned to Sri Lanka in the early 1990s. In 1993, she was elected Chief Minister of the Western Province. This helped her build the momentum needed for her later success.

In the 1994 presidential election, she achieved a massive victory. She defeated the UNP candidate, Srima Dissanayake. Kumaratunga won almost 62% of the votes. This was the largest landslide victory in the history of Sri Lanka.

Even after this win, her career faced more difficulty. During her 1999 re-election campaign, she survived an assassination attempt. She still won a second term, defeating Ranil Wickremesinghe. Her long tenure remains a central part of Sri Lankan political history.