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The
Democratic United National Front is a
political partyA political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
At the last legislative
electionsElections in Sri Lanka gives information on election and election results in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a six year term by the people...
, held on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the
United People's Freedom AllianceThe United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
that won 45.6 % of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats.
The DUNF was founded in 1990 by a group of
United National PartyThe United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
dissidents. The party was led by
Lalith AthulathmudaliLalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali , PC was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.-Early life and teaching career:Born to a family of Lawyers, his...
and
Gamini DissanayakeLionel Gamini Dissanayake was a prominent Sri Lankan politician and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition.-Early life:...
, who shared a joint presidency.
On April 23, 1993, Lalith Athulathmudali was shot dead during an election campaign rally. The DUNF then split and Lalith's widow, Srimani Anoma Athulathmudali, launched the Democratic United National Lalith Front as a separate political party.
In December 2009 the DUNF joined the United National Front led by the UNP. However, in February 2010 they left the UNF in order to join the
Democratic National AllianceThe Democratic National Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by retired General Sarath Fonseka and his allies to contest in the 2010 general elections...
.