Sri Lanka Freedom Party

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP ) is one of the main parties in Sri Lanka.

It was founded in 1951 by SWRD Bandaranaike, who left with his followers, the United National Party ( UNP). As a result, she became the most important SLFP Sinhala opposition party. She represented a socialist and Sinhala nationalist course. So they saw before nationalization of companies that detachment from the Commonwealth of Nations and the sole introduction of Sinhala as the official language. The SLFP has been dominated since its inception by the Bandaranaike Kumaratunga family.

Governments Bandaranaike (1956-1960, 1960-1965, 1970-1977)

In the elections of 1956, the SLFP could take over for the first time the government as the leading force of the Mahayana Eksath Peramuna (MEP). Bandaranaike became prime minister, but lost by an assassination attempt in 1959 his life. His successor, Dudley Senanayake was unable to hold together the coalition and lost the parliamentary elections in March 1960. Since the UNP but also could not form a stable government, the SLFP came after a short time returned to power. The widow of SWRD Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, took the lead, won an absolute majority in the elections in July 1960 and was the world's first woman Prime Minister.

However, in 1965 the SLFP lost the elections and had to go into opposition. At the elections in 1970, she went with the Communist Party and the Trotskyists who were already involved since 1964 at the Bandaranaike government, an alliance with the name " United Front " ( Samagi Peramuna ) a. This alliance won in the elections 118 of 135 seats, with the SLFP won 90 seats alone.

The government set up in 1972 by a new constitution in which Sri Lanka became a republic. However, this also provoked resistance especially with the Tamil minority.

Opposition (1977-1994)

After the coalition had fallen apart, the SLFP was in the elections in 1977 to a mere eight seats. Some members seceded and formed People's Democratic Party ( Mahayana Prajathanthra ). The SLFP was led by the son of the former Prime Minister, Anuba Bandaranaike.

In 1984, the daughter of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, with her husband Vijaya Kumaratunga another spin-off, the Sri Lanka People's Party ( SLPP, Sri Lanka Mahayana Pakshaya ), the more concessions to the Tamil rebels, who fought a civil war since 1983 was ready. However, the spin-offs could not repress as the main opposition party, the SLFP.

Determining political force (since 1994)

Only in 1994 was the SLFP as the most important power of the People's Alliance again take over the government. Kumaratunga became Prime Minister. When she was elected in November to the President, she made her 78- year-old mother again as Prime Minister. Kumaratunga won the presidential elections in 1999. However, in December 2001, the SLFP lost the parliamentary elections.

Tensions between the President and the Prime Minister of the UNP, Ranil Wickremesinghe, led to his dismissal and new elections on 2 April 2004. Was won by the SLFP as the leading party of the United People 's Freedom Alliance, which gained 105 of 225 seats. Mahinda Rajapaksa was Prime Minister. This also won the presidential elections on 17 November 2004, to the Kamaratunga no longer allowed to compete, with 50.3% against Wickremesinghe. The new prime minister of the SLFP was Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who had briefly held the post from 2000 to 2001.

• Party in Sri Lanka
• Socialist Party
• Nationalist Party