1994 Sri Lankan presidential election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Sri Lanka
| type = presidential
| previous_election = 1993 Sri Lankan presidential election
| previous_year = 1993
| next_election = 1999 Sri Lankan presidential election
| next_year = 1999
| election_date = 9 November 1994
| turnout = 70.47% ({{increase}} 15.15pp)
| image1 = Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga As The President of Sri Lanka.jpg
| nominee1 = Chandrika Kumaratunga
| party1 = Sri Lanka Freedom Party
| alliance1 = People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
| popular_vote1 = 4,709,205
| percentage1 = 62.28%
| image2 = 3x4.svg
| nominee2 = Srima Dissanayake
| party2 = United National Party
| alliance2 = —
| alliance2_name = no
| popular_vote2 = 2,715,283
| percentage2 = 35.91%
| map_image = Sri Lankan Presidential Election 1994.png
| map_caption = Results by polling division
| title = President
| before_election = Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
| after_election = Chandrika Kumaratunga
| before_party = United National Party
| after_party = Sri Lanka Freedom Party
}}
Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 9 November 1994. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994 and voter turnout was 70%. Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the governing People's Alliance was elected, receiving 62% of the vote and becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka.
Background
President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated in 1993 by the Tamil Tigers and was succeeded by the Prime Minister, Dingiri Banda Wijetunga. President Wijetunga chose not to run in the 1994 election; therefore the United National Party selected Leader of the Opposition Gamini Dissanayake as their candidate. His main challenger was Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the People's Alliance, whose party had won the parliamentary elections earlier in 1994.{{cite web | url = http://www.paffrel.lk/pdf/Election2005_PastResults.pdf | title = Results of past presidential elections in Sri Lanka | access-date = 2009-08-22 | publisher = People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120223061134/http://www.paffrel.lk/pdf/Election2005_PastResults.pdf | archive-date = 2012-02-23 | url-status = dead }}
On 24 October 1994, during his presidential campaign, Gamini Dissanayake was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers. His name on the ballot paper was replaced by his wife Srima Dissanayake, thus making the election the first Sri Lankan presidential election in which both main party candidates were women.
Results
Kumaratunga won the election by a record margin with 62.28% of the vote.
{{Election results
|cand1=Chandrika Kumaratunga|party1=People's Alliance|votes1=4709205
|cand2=Srima Dissanayake|party2=United National Party|votes2=2715283
|cand3=Hudson Samarasinghe|party3=Independent|votes3=58886
|cand4=Harischandra Wijayatunga|party4=Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Pakshaya|votes4=32651
|cand5=A. J. Ranasinghe|party5=Independent|votes5=22752
|cand6=Nihal Galappaththi|party6=Sri Lanka Progressive Front|votes6=22749
|invalid=151706
|electorate=10945065
|source=[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090304101347/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/1994%20Presidential.pdf Election Commission]
}}
References
{{reflist}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/1994%20Presidential.pdf|title=Result of Presidential Election 1994|publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304101347/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/1994%20Presidential.pdf|archive-date=2009-03-04}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/election/presidential1994.jsp|title=1994 Sri Lanka Presidential Election Results|date=20 October 2022 |publisher=LankaNewspapers.com}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.manthree.com/elections/results/?id=6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130181355/http://www.manthree.com/elections/results/?id=6|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-01-30|title=1994 - Presidential Election|publisher=Manthree.com}}
{{Sri Lankan elections}}