Mahinda Rajapaksa is a politician from Sri Lanka. He was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and Finance Minister from 2005 to 2015.
Rajapaksa was initially elected to the Sri Lankan Parliament in 1970 and is a professional lawyer. He has been the Kurunegala Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015. From 2005 to 2015, he presided as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s head.
On November 19, 2005, Rajapaksa took the oath to begin his first six-year tenure as president. After that, he won reelection in 2010 to serve a second term.
In the 2015 presidential election, Maithripala Sirisena defeated Rajapaksa’s attempt for a third term, and he resigned from office on January 9, 2015.
Later the same year, Rajapaksa unsuccessfully ran for prime minister in the 2015 legislative elections. The United People’s Freedom Alliance lost, although it was chosen to represent the Kurunegala District as a member of parliament.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Early Life and Education
Rajapaksa spent his early years in Medamulana, his family’s house. He was sent to his father’s school, Richmond College in Galle, when he was six. Initially boarded with a family in Galle, their mother later rented a house in Galle dubbed the ‘Singapore House’ and relocated there to support the schooling of the growing family.
The Rajapaksa family relocated to Colombo in the mid-1950s, and Mahinda Rajapaksa was admitted to Nalanda College in Colombo. Later that year, he transferred to Thurstan College, where he participated in sports such as cricket, rugger, and athletics, including becoming a 400m relay team member and winning the putt shot championship.
He began working as a library assistant at the Vidyodaya Pirivena in the mid-1960s and quickly became involved in leftwing politics. He joined the Ceylon Mercantile Union and was elected branch secretary in 1967.
His father died in November 1967 after losing his parliamentary seat in the 1965 general election. Sirima Bandaranaike, the party head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), offered his father’s position as SLFP party organizer for the Beliatta electorate to his older brother Chamal.
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In 1968, Chamal, who had joined the Ceylon Police Force as a Sub-inspector, turned down Mrs. Bandaranaike’s offer in favor of his younger brother. Mahinda Rajapaksa was chosen as the SLFP organizer for Beliatta.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Political Career
House of Representatives:
Rajapaksa ran for the House of Representatives in the 1970 general elections as the SLFP’s candidate in the Beliatta district. He won 23,103 votes over his challenger Dr. Ranjit Atapattu of the United National Party’s (16,477) 16,477.
He was a backbencher in the ruling party at the time and the youngest member of parliament (MP) at the age of 24. He enrolled in Sri Lanka Law College and pursued legal studies while holding the office of an MP after reforms to the Sri Lanka Law College’s admissions procedure made it possible for young MPs to be admitted.
In the massive defeat suffered by the SLFP in the 1977 general elections, Rajapaksa lost his parliamentary seat to Dr. Ranjit Atapattu in July 1977. Atapattu received 24,289 votes against Rajapaksa’s 17,896.
Legal career:
Rajapaksa was admitted to the bar as an attorney at law in November 1977. He then began his criminal law practice in Tangalle’s Unofficial Bar, remaining until 1994.
Appointment as cabinet minister:
Rajapaksa was named Minister of Labor in 1994 following the election victory of the People’s Alliance, a political coalition led by Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
After a cabinet shuffle in 1997, he continued in this position until Rajapaksa renamed his portfolio Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Leader of the Opposition:
Rajapaksa lost his position in the cabinet when the United National Party (UNP) beat the People’s Alliance in the 2001 elections. In March 2002, he was appointed Leader of the Opposition.
Prime Minister (2004–2005):
Rajapaksa became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka following the 2004 legislative elections, in which the United People’s Freedom Alliance won a slender majority.
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On April 6, 2004, he was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s 13th Prime Minister. While Prime Minister Rajapaksa was also in charge of the Ministry of Highways, Ports, and Shipping.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Net Worth
At 74, World Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has a net worth of $1 million to $5 million. He made his money as a professional World Leader.
He is Sri Lankan. Wikileaks, run by Julian Assange, revealed that Mahinda was behind the massacres of Tamil civilians and prisoner militants near the conflict’s conclusion.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Personal Life and Family
Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa was born in Hambantota’s Weeraketiya. D. M. Rajapaksa donned a brown scarf to signify his people’s kurakkan (finger millet).
He donned his uncle’s scarf. D. A. Rajapaksa was Wijeyananda Dahanayake’s agriculture minister from 1947 to 1965. Mom was from Matara’s Palatuwa. After his brother died in 1945, his father replaced him on the Ceylon State Council. He has six brothers and sisters. Tudor, Gotabaya, Basil, Preethi, Dudley, and Gandini.
Rajapaksa married Shiranthi Wickremesinghe in 1983. E. P. Wickremasinghe’s daughter is Shiranthi Rajapaksa. The Rajapaksas have three sons: Namal, Yoshitha, and Rohitha.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, an acting sub-lieutenant, enlisted in the Sri Lankan Navy in March 2009. In April 2010, Namal Rajapaksa was chosen to represent the Hambantota Area in parliament. Namal won in Hambantota and was re-elected to the House of Representatives in 2015.
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Mahinda Rajapaksa uses talismans and astrology to make decisions. He collects valuable rings as fortunate charms, some with gemstones and elephant hair.
Rajapaksa lost a gem-encrusted ring during a wedding. So he’s called “lord of the rings.” After searching under carpets and toilets, hotel staff found the circle near the VIP table.
Why did a lawyer want Mahinda Rajapaksa arrested?
A lawyer had asked a Sri Lankan court to order the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest seven people, including former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal intimidation and aiding and abetting an attack on a peaceful protest in front.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mahinda Rajapaksa Pro China?
During the administration of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, relations between the two countries grew more robust due to Rajapaksa’s pro-China posture.
What Is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Position?
Member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka since 2015.
When Was Mahinda Rajapaksa Born?
November 18, 1945