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Maithripala Sirisena facts for kids

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His Excellency
Maithripala Sirisena
මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන
மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன
Maithripala- Russia (portrait).jpg
Sirisena in 2017
7th President of Sri Lanka
In office
9 January 2015 – 18 November 2019
Prime Minister
Preceded by Mahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded by Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Minister of Defence
In office
12 January 2015 – 18 November 2019
President Himself
Prime Minister
  • Ranil Wickremesinghe
  • Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by Mahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded by Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment
In office
12 January 2015 – 18 November 2019
President Himself
Prime Minister
Preceded by Susil Premajayantha
In office
23 November 2005 – 23 April 2010
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded by Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena
Personal details
Born
Pallewatte Gamaralage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena

(1951-09-03) 3 September 1951 (age 73)
Yagoda, Dominion of Ceylon
Citizenship Sri Lankan
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party
(since 1968)
Communist Party of Ceylon
(1966–1968)
Other political
affiliations		 Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance (2019–2022)
United People's Freedom Alliance (2004–2019)
New Democratic Front
(2014–2015)
People's Alliance
(1994–2004)
Spouse Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari
Children
  • Chathurika
  • Daham
  • Dharani
Alma mater Maxim Gorky Literature Institute
Occupation Politician
Signature

Maithripala Sirisena (born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019. He was the first president from the North Central Province and was not from a traditional political family. After his presidency, he became a member of parliament for the Polonnaruwa District from 2020 to 2024.

Sirisena began his political career in 1989 as a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Since 1994, he has held several important government jobs. Before becoming president, he was the general-secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and served as the Minister of Health. In 2014, he decided to run for president against the leader of his own party, Mahinda Rajapaksa. His win in the 2015 election was a surprise to many. He promised to make big changes, like giving more power to the parliament and fighting corruption.

After winning, Sirisena was sworn in as president on 9 January 2015. He then appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister. Sirisena stated that he would only serve one term as president. In 2018, he caused a political crisis by trying to remove Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and appoint his former rival, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister. However, the Supreme Court later ruled that his actions were against the constitution.

Early Life and Education

Maithripala Sirisena was born on 3 September 1951, in Yagoda, a village in Sri Lanka. He was the oldest of 12 children. His family later moved to Polonnaruwa because his father, a World War II veteran, received land there. His mother was a school teacher.

Sirisena went to school at Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya and Rajakeeya Madya Maha Vidyalaya Polonnaruwa. During his teenage years, he became interested in politics and joined the Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist). In 1971, when he was 19, he was jailed for 15 months for being involved in a youth uprising.

After being released, Sirisena joined the All Ceylon SLFP Youth Organization. He worked in several government jobs before officially joining the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in 1978. He quickly moved up in the party, becoming the president of the All Island SLFP Youth Organisation in 1983.

He studied agriculture and earned a diploma in 1973. In 1980, he also received a diploma in political science from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia.

Political Career Before Presidency

Member of Parliament

Sirisena was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1989, representing the Polonnaruwa District. He was re-elected several times. In 1997, he became the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party for the first time. He later became the general-secretary again in 2001.

Ministerial Roles

Sirisena held many important jobs in the government.

  • Deputy Minister of Irrigation: In 1994, he became the Deputy Minister of Irrigation.
  • Minister of Mahaweli Development: In 1997, he was promoted to Minister of Mahaweli Development. In this role, he helped farmers by giving them grants and making sure they could buy fertilizer cheaply. He also worked to save the Paddy Marketing Board, which helps control rice prices.
  • Minister of Agriculture: After the 2005 presidential election, he became the Minister of Agriculture. He started a program called 'Api Wavamu – Rata Nagamu' to increase local food production. This project was very successful and helped improve farming across the country. During the Sri Lankan Civil War, he also served as the acting Defence Minister at times.
  • Minister of Health: In 2010, he was appointed Minister of Health. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Vice Presidents of the World Health Assembly.

Presidency (2015–2019)

Presidential Campaign and Election

On 21 November 2014, Sirisena announced he would run for president in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election. He said that too much power was held by one family and that there was a lot of corruption. He promised to change the way the government worked, give more power to the parliament, and fight corruption.

Sirisena released his plans, called A Compassionate Maithri Governance — A Stable Country, on 19 December 2014. His main promise was to change the presidency to a system where parliament had more power. He also promised to reduce fuel prices and increase salaries for government workers.

Sirisena won the election with 52.42% of the votes. His victory was a surprise to many. He was sworn in as president on 9 January 2015, and immediately appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister.

100-Day Reform Program

After becoming president, Sirisena promised to make many changes within 100 days. Some of these changes, like reducing presidential powers, were made through a new law called the nineteenth amendment. He also introduced a Right to Information bill. However, not all promised changes were completed within 100 days.

Forming a National Government

After the 2015 parliamentary elections, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) decided to form a "national government" together for two years. This meant they would work together in parliament. Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister.

Constitutional Challenges

In October 2018, President Sirisena removed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa instead. Wickremesinghe argued that this was against the constitution. This led to a political crisis in the country. Many people protested, asking the President to bring back the parliament. On 13 December 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that President Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament was unconstitutional. Following this ruling, Rajapaksa stepped down, and Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as Prime Minister.

Easter Bombings

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, a series of terrible bombings happened in Sri Lanka, targeting churches and hotels. Many people lost their lives. President Sirisena, who was out of the country at the time, ordered an investigation into the attacks. He also declared a state of emergency.

The government faced criticism for not acting on warnings about the attacks. President Sirisena stated he did not know about the warnings before he left the country. The Supreme Court later ruled that some government and intelligence officials, including Sirisena, were responsible for failing to prevent the attacks. In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered Sirisena to pay compensation to the victims. He completed this payment in August 2024.

After Presidency (2019–Present)

Return to Parliament

Maithripala Sirisena finished his term as president on 18 November 2019. He decided not to run for a second term. After his presidency, he became the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In the 2020 parliamentary elections, he was elected to parliament again from the Polonnaruwa district.

Future Political Plans

On 31 January 2023, Sirisena announced that he plans to run in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election. He apologized to the Catholic community regarding the Easter bombings and compared himself to Nelson Mandela.

Recently, there have been some disagreements within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In April 2024, a court temporarily stopped Sirisena from acting as the party chairman. On 12 May, he officially resigned from the role, and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was appointed as the new chairman by one part of the party.

Personal Life

Sirisena is married to Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari. They have two daughters, Chathurika and Dharani, and a son, Daham.

He is a vegetarian and follows Theravada Buddhist teachings.

In March 2015, Sirisena's youngest brother, Priyantha Sirisena, passed away after an attack. Sirisena was on a state visit to China at the time.

His daughter, Chathurika Sirisena, wrote a book about him titled Janadhipathi Thaththa (President Father) in 2017.

Images for kids

  • Maithripala Sirisena, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jayanthi Sirisena

    Maithripala Sirisena and Jayanthi Sirisena with Donald Trump and Melania Trump

  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena

    President Maithripala Sirisena on a State Visit to India, February 2015

  • Vladimir Putin and Maithripala Sirisena (2017-03-23) 03

    President Maithripala Sirisena meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2017

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