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Wijeyananda Dahanayake

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The Honourable
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
MP
Prime Minister of Ceylone
In office
26 September 1959 – 20 March 1960
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded bySolomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike
Succeeded byDudley Senanayake
Member of Parliament
for Galle
In office
20 December 1979 – 20 December 1988
Preceded byAlbert de Silva
Succeeded byConstituency Abolished
In office
5 August 1960 – 18 May 1977
Preceded byW. D. S. Abeygoonawardena
Succeeded byAlbert de Silva
In office
14 October 1947 – 5 December 1959
Preceded byConstituency Created
Succeeded byW. D. S. Abeygoonawardena
Personal details
Born(1901-10-22)22 October 1901
Galle, Sri Lanka
Died4 May 1997(1997-05-04) (aged 95)
Galle, Sri Lanka
Political partyLanka Equal Society Party
Ceylon Democratic Party
United National Party
Alma materRichmond College, Galle
ProfessionPolitician, Teacher

Wijeyananda Dahanayaka (Template:Lang-si Template:Lang-ta; 22 October 1901 – 4 May 1997) was a Sri Lankan political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1959 to 1960.[1]

Early life

The young Wijeyananda Dahanayaka attended the well known Richmond College, in Galle, Sri Lanka.

He was born as a twin in the Galle district. Wijeyananda Dahanayaka was educated at a well known educational institution in Southern Sri Lanka, Richmond College in Galle.[2]

Political career

Dahanayaka was a member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party before joining the administration of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, prime minister and leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He served as cabinet minister of education in the Bandaranaike Administration, from 1956 to 1959.

Prime Minister of Ceylon

He took office as prime minister, cabinet minister of defence external affairs and education when Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in September 1959. He led the caretaker government for a year. His most notable action was the repeal of the Act which suspended capital punishment.

Dahanayaka contested the March 1960 General Election in Ceylon under the nomination of his newly formed Lanka Prajathanthravadi Pakshaya (Ceylon Democratic Party). He could not be re-elected as an MP, as he had lost his Galle constituency in that election.

He had also served as a cabinet minister of home affairs in Dudley Senanayake's government from 1965 to 1970 and cabinet minister of cooperatives in Junius Richard Jayawardene's government from 1986 to 1988.

Dahanayaka died on 4 May 1997 at the age of 95 in Galle, Sri Lanka.[3]

References

  1. ^ Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka
  2. ^ Dahanayake twins and their service to education
  3. ^ Midnight sacking of ministers
Government offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Ceylon
1959–1960 		Succeeded by
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