Leader of the House of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena took oaths as the Prime Minister before President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday, July 22.
Gunawardena was a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Leader of the House in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He is the current leader of the left-wing Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) party from 1983. Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena was born on March 2, 1949.
He is the son of Philip Gunawardena and Kusumasiri Gunawardena (née Amarasinghe).
He was educated at Royal Primary School, Colombo and Royal College, Colombo. After leaving school he studied at the Netherlands School of Business (Nyenrode Business University), graduating with a Diploma in Business Management. He joined the University of Oregon, graduating with a B.B.A. Degree in International Business. While in the United States, he was involved in student activism, taking part in anti-Vietnam War protests.
Gunawardena married Ramani Wathsala Kotelawela. They have one son (Yadamini) and one daughter (Sankapali). Ramani passed away following undiagnosed hepatitis in the mid-1980s.
Gunawardena worked in New York City, but in 1972 his father died, and Gunawardena returned to Sri Lanka. He was appointed to the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna’s (MEP) Central Committee in August 1973. He became General Secretary of the MEP in 1974.
Gunawardena was the MEP’s candidate in Avissawella at the 1977 parliamentary election, but failed to get elected. He was the MEP’s candidate in the Maharagama Electoral District at the 1983 by-election, and was elected to Parliament. Gunawardena successfully contested the 1989 parliamentary election as one of the MEP’s candidates in the multi-member Colombo Electoral District. He was one of the MEP candidates in the Colombo district at the 1994 parliamentary election, but the MEP failed to win any seats in Parliament.
On August 27, 2000, the MEP joined the People’s Alliance (PA). Gunawardena contested the 2000 parliamentary election as one of the PA’s candidates in the Colombo district. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. He was appointed Minister of Transport after the election. He was given the additional portfolio of Environment in September 2001. He was re-elected at the 2001 parliamentary election.
On January 20, 2004, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) formed the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
The MEP joined the UPFA on February 2, 2004. Gunawardena contested the 2004 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA’s candidates in Colombo district and re-entered Parliament.
He was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply and Deputy Minister of Education. In January 2007, his Cabinet portfolio was Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development but he lost his deputy ministerial position. He was appointed Chief Government Whip in June 2008.
Gunawardena was re-elected at the 2010 parliamentary election and appointed Minister of Water Supply and Drainage. He lost his Cabinet position following the 2015 Presidential election and was re-elected at the 2020 parliamentary election.