Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People’s Force (NPP), is set to be sworn in today (23rd September) as the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka. The swearing-in ceremony will take place this morning at the Presidential Secretariat, in the presence of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Born on 24th November 1966, Dissanayake began his education at Tambuttegama Primary School before continuing at Tambuttegama Central High School, where he pursued science and mathematics at the Advanced Level. In 1992, he entered the Faculty of Science at Kelaniya University and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Dissanayake’s political involvement began in 1987 as a student activist during protests against the Indo-Ceylon Agreement. He became a member of the Socialist Students’ Union, and by 1997, he held the position of National Organizer for the Union. In 1998, he joined the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) Central Committee and was later elected to the Political Committee of the party.
In 1999, he made his political debut by contesting in the provincial council elections. In the year 2000, he was elected to Parliament via the national list of the JVP. By 2004, he represented the Kurunegala District in Parliament, winning the highest number of preferential votes. He became the parliamentary group leader of JVP in 2008 and was re-elected in subsequent elections.
In 2014, Dissanayake took over leadership of the JVP from Somawansa Amarasinghe. He later spearheaded the formation of the National People’s Force in 2019, a coalition of political parties and civil organizations, which positioned him as the NPP’s presidential candidate. Though he received only 3.16% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election, Dissanayake’s influence grew, leading to his victory in this year’s presidential election.
After the announcement of his victory, Dissanayake stated that he would outline the country’s next steps following his swearing-in.
