The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is the functional head of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka

Cabinet of Sri Lanka

The Cabinet of Sri Lanka is the council of cabinet ministers , responsible to parliament. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the President under the advice of the Prime Minister and serve at his pleasure. Officially the prime minister is the head of the cabinet, but the cabinet is chaired by the...

. However, the President

President of Sri Lanka

The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...

 is both head of state and head of government in Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister acts as the President's deputy, acting on his/her behalf in his/her absence or incapacitation, and is the first in the line of succession

Sri Lankan presidential line of succession

The presidential line of succession who may become or act as President of Sri Lanka upon the incapacity, resignation or death of a current President.- Current order :The Presidential line of succession, as specified by the Constitution is:...

.

History

The post of Prime Minister of Ceylon was created in 1947 prior to independence from Britain and the formation of the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. In 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic the name of the post changed to Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. With a Westminster

Westminster System

The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

-based political system established the Prime Minister was the head of government therefore held the most powerful political office of the country at the time. This changed with a constitutional change in 1978, when the Executive Presidency was created, making the President both head of state

Head of State

A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

 and head of government

Head of government

Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

. Until 1978 the Prime minister was also the Minister of Defence and External Affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President as head of the cabinet of ministers. In the event the president dies in office the Prime Minister becomes the acting president until Parliament convenes to elect a successor or new elections could be held to elect a new president. This was the case with H.E. President Dingiri Banda Wijetunge.

The current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is D. M. Jayaratne

D. M. Jayaratne

Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne MP is the 20th and current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and a veteran Sri Lankan politician. A founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Jayaratne was first elected to parliament in 1970. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on April 21, 2010.-Early life:D. M...

, who was appointed by H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...

 on 21 April 2010.

List of Sri Lankan Prime Ministers

Other information

The official residence

Official residence

An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...

 of the prime minister is the Prime Minister's House

Prime Minister's House (Colombo)

Prime Minister's House, most commonly known as Temple Trees, is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka...

 most commonly referred to as Temple Trees. The Prime Minister's Office

Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka)

The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties and responsibilities vested in the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka...

 is located on Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha (formerly known as Flower Road) in Colombo.

See also

• President of Sri Lanka
  President of Sri Lanka
  The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
  
  
• Prime Minister's Office
  Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka)
  The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties and responsibilities vested in the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka...
  
  

External links

• Parliament of Sri Lanka - Handbook of Parliament, Prime Ministers