Anura Kumara Dissanayake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake
අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක அநுர குமார திசாநாயக்க
Dissanayake in 2024
10th President of Sri Lanka
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 September 2024
Prime Minister	Harini Amarasuriya
Preceded by	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Cabinet positions Minister of Defence Incumbent Assumed office 24 September 2024 President Himself Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya Preceded by Ranil Wickremesinghe Minister of Finance Incumbent Assumed office 24 September 2024 President Himself Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya Preceded by Ranil Wickremesinghe Minister of Agriculture, Land, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources In office 24 September 2024 – 18 November 2024 President Himself Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya Preceded by Mahinda Amaraweera Succeeded by K. D. Lalkantha In office 10 April 2004 – 24 June 2005 President Chandrika Kumaratunga Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Preceded by S. B. Dissanayake Succeeded by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Minister of Energy In office 24 September 2024 – 18 November 2024 President Himself Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya Preceded by Kanchana Wijesekera Succeeded by Kumara Jayakody
Parliamentary positions Leader of the National People's Power Incumbent Assumed office 14 July 2019 Preceded by Position established Leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Incumbent Assumed office 29 September 2014 General Secretary Tilvin Silva Preceded by Somawansa Amarasinghe Chief Opposition Whip In office 3 September 2015 – 18 December 2018 Preceded by John Seneviratne Succeeded by Mahinda Amaraweera Member of Parliament for Colombo district In office 1 September 2015 – 23 September 2024 Succeeded by Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi Member of Parliament for Kurunegala district In office 1 April 2004 – 8 April 2010 Member of Parliament for National List In office 22 April 2010 – 17 August 2015 In office 18 October 2000 – 7 February 2004
Personal details
Born	Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayake (1968-11-24) 24 November 1968 (age 56) Dewahuwa, Ceylon
Political party	National People's Power
Other political affiliations	Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Spouse	Mallika Dissanayake
Children	1
Residences	462/20, Pannipitiya Road, Pelawatte, Battaramulla
Alma mater	University of Kelaniya
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Student union leader
Signature

Anura Kumara Dissanayake (born 24 November 1968), often called AKD, is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the tenth and current president of Sri Lanka, taking office in 2024. Dissanayake is the first president in Sri Lanka to be chosen after a second round of voting. He is also the first president not from one of the country's main traditional political parties.

He was born on 24 November 1968 in a village called Galewela in the Central Province. In 1972, his family moved to Thambuththegama in the North Central Province. While studying at the University of Peradeniya, he joined the Socialist Students Union. This group was connected to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) political party. He later moved to the University of Kelaniya and earned a science degree in 1995. In 1997, he became the national organizer for the Socialist Students Union.

Dissanayake joined the JVP's Central Committee in 1997. He became part of the JVP Political Bureau in 1998. In 2000, he entered parliament through the national list. In 2004, he was elected to parliament from the Kurunegala District. He served as Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation from 2004 to 2005.

In 2008, he became the JVP leader in parliament. He was again elected to Parliament in 2010. In 2014, he became the overall leader of the JVP. He was elected to Parliament from the Colombo District in 2015. From 2015 to 2018, he was the Chief Opposition Whip. He was named the most active Member of Parliament for five years in a row. In 2019, he helped start the National People's Power (NPP) party and became its first leader.

Dissanayake ran for president in the 2019 presidential election. He came in third place. He ran again in 2024 and was elected President of Sri Lanka on 22 September 2024. He is the first president elected from a third party.

Early Life and Education

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968. His birthplace was the village of Dewahuwa in the Matale District of Sri Lanka. His father worked in agriculture and later for the surveyor's department. His mother was a homemaker. He has one sister. He enjoys reading books by authors like Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky. He has said he is inspired by leaders such as Marx, Lenin, Gandhi, and Castro.

His family later moved to the Anuradhapura District. They settled in Thambuththegama. Dissanayake went to Thambuththegama Gamini Maha Vidyalaya and then Thambuththegama Central College. He was the first student from his college to get into a university, attending the University of Peradeniya.

Student Politics and University Life

Since his school days, Dissanayake was involved with the JVP. In 1987, at 19, he officially joined the JVP. He was waiting for his exam results at the time. After getting into the University of Peradeniya, he moved to Kandy. He spent much of his time doing political work for the JVP. He used the name Aravinda for his work.

Later, Dissanayake transferred to the University of Kelaniya in 1992. He finished his studies there and graduated in 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree.

Political Journey

Leading Student Unions

After graduating from university in 1995, Dissanayake was chosen as the National Organiser for the Socialist Students Union. This union was supported by the JVP. He soon took charge of the Inter University Students' Federation.

Joining the JVP Leadership

He was appointed to the Central Working Committee of the JVP in 1996. In 1998, he joined the politburo of the JVP. Dissanayake worked to organize student unions. He helped create pro-JVP student unions in many Sri Lankan universities.

Serving in Parliament (2000–2024)

Dissanayake first entered parliament in 2000. He was part of the national list for the JVP. He was reappointed to parliament in 2001.

Becoming a Cabinet Minister

In 2004, the JVP joined with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). They ran together as the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). They won many seats in the 2004 parliamentary elections. Dissanayake was elected from the Kurunegala District. President Kumaratunga appointed him as Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation. This was part of the joint SLFP–JVP cabinet in February 2004. During his time as minister, he helped restore the Kandy Lake.

He left his ministerial job on 16 June 2005. Other JVP ministers also resigned at that time. This happened because the JVP leader decided to leave the UPFA. They disagreed with the President's plan for tsunami relief.

Leading the JVP Party

On 2 February 2014, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was named the new leader of the JVP. He took over from Somawansa Amarasinghe. After becoming leader, he apologized for past actions by the JVP.

After the 2015 parliamentary election, he served as Chief Opposition Whip. This role lasted from September 2015 to December 2018.

Presidential Elections

2019 Presidential Election

On 18 August 2019, the National People's Power (NPP) announced Dissanayake as their candidate. He ran in the 2019 presidential elections. Dissanayake finished in third place. He received 3% of the total votes.

2024 Presidential Election

On 29 August 2023, the NPP announced that Dissanayake would run for president again in 2024. In the first vote count, Dissanayake won the most votes, with 42.31%. The next candidate was SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa, with 32.76%. Since no one won more than half the votes, a second round of counting was held. Dissanayake was declared the winner after the second count. He secured 55.89% of the votes.

Many people believe Dissanayake won because voters were unhappy with previous governments. This was especially true during Sri Lanka's ongoing economic crisis. He is the first president elected without winning a majority in the first count. Some people call him a "minority president" because of this.

Presidency (2024–present)

Taking Office and Forming a Cabinet

Dissanayake became president at the presidential secretariat on 23 September 2024. In his first speech, he promised to keep his election promises. He said it would take time for the country to change. He also mentioned plans for new parliamentary elections. This would help form a new government.

Dissanayake appointed people to his first cabinet. This included Ananda Wijepala as his private secretary. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake became the secretary to the president. Ravi Seneviratne was appointed secretary to the Ministry of Public Security. Sampath Thuyacontha became the secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

Since Dissanayake's seat in parliament was now empty, Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi took his place. He became the MP for the Colombo district.

New Parliamentary Elections

On 24 September, Dissanayake appointed MP Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister. She is the third woman to hold this position. He also made her minister for justice, education, and labor. Besides Amarasuriya, Dissanayake appointed Vijitha Herath, another NPP MP, to his cabinet. Later that day, he dissolved the 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka and called for early legislative elections. These elections were set for 14 November.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said in October 2024 that they are willing to work with Dissanayake's government. They are also open to taking ministerial jobs.

Dissanayake led his party to a big victory in the elections. They won 159 out of 225 seats. This gave him more than a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Changes to Taxes

Dissanayake had been critical of the previous government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said the IMF only wanted to help corrupt governments. He believes some IMF rules need to be changed. For example, he wants to reduce certain taxes like the pay-as-you-earn tax. He also wants to cut spending to meet financial goals. He has said his government will increase help for social welfare. He plans to remove value-added taxes on important items. These include food, health services, medical tools, and education. His government aims to lower living costs. They also plan to increase taxes on wealthy people, while still supporting their businesses. Since becoming president, Dissanayake has agreed to continue Sri Lanka's deal with the IMF.

Land Reforms

President Dissanayake ordered that 11,000 acres of land from the Kantale Sugar Company be given to farmers. This land will be used to grow short-term crops.

Foreign Relations

Dissanayake has said that Sri Lanka wants to join BRICS. This idea was started by the previous government. He was invited to the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024. However, he could not attend due to the elections in Sri Lanka. Instead, he sent a group of officials to the summit.

Sri Lanka did not accept a resolution from the United Nations Human Rights Council in October 2024. This resolution called for an outside group to gather evidence. Sri Lanka stated that Dissanayake wants to make local ways of finding truth "credible and sound."

On 22 October 2024, cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath announced that neither the president nor other ministers would attend the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). This meeting was planned for Apia, Samoa. Instead, officials from the Sri Lanka High Commission in the UK and the Foreign Ministry represented Sri Lanka.

Also on 22 October 2024, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane led Sri Lanka's group to the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. Sri Lanka had formally applied to join BRICS.

Dissanayake's first trip outside Sri Lanka was to India in December 2024. There, he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Truth and Peace Efforts

Dissanayake visited the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. He received blessings and promised to find the truth about the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.

People in the Northern Province asked for the Palali-Achchuveli main road to be reopened. Dissanayake ordered this in October 2024. The Defence Secretary carried out the order. This road goes through a high-security area in Jaffna. It had been closed for over 30 years since the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Former parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran asked President Dissanayake to release all remaining land held by the military. This includes land for homes and farms. Dissanayake promised on 11 November that government and military-occupied lands would slowly be given back to their owners. This program started with the closing of the Paruthithurai camp on 20 November.

National Security

In October 2024, there were concerns about terrorism. The United States and other countries issued travel warnings. Dissanayake responded by sending police, intelligence officers, and armed forces to Colombo, Arugam Bay, Weligama, and Ella. He also met with foreign representatives.

Political Beliefs

Media has described Dissanayake as a Marxist, a neo-Marxist, and a pragmatist. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Dissanayake promised to dissolve the then-current parliament within 45 days of becoming president. He wanted to get a new public vote for his policies. He campaigned on promises to fight corruption and poverty in 2024.

Dhananath Fernando, CEO of the Advocata Institute, a think tank in Colombo, said Dissanayake "now supports a pro-trade approach." He wants to make taxes simpler and improve the business environment. He also aims to reform tax collection, end corruption, and make the private sector a key part of economic growth. However, his plans for debt negotiations are not yet clear.

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Anura Kumara Dissanayake in 2024

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  Anura Kumara Dissanayake's signature

See also

In Spanish: Anura Kumara Dissanayake para niños