Veteran SLFPer Jayaratne, 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 April 2010, 03:52 GMT]
Mr. D. M. Jayaratne, a senior member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance was sworn in as the fifteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Wednesday evening at Temple Trees. He took oaths before President Mahinda Rajapakse. He held the post of Plantations Minister in the outgoing cabinet.

Mr. Jayaratne, born on June 7, 1942, has been active in politics for the past 38 years.

Hailing from Gampola in Kandy district he first entered Parliament in 1970, but was defeated in 1977 and out of Parliament until 1989.

After his re-election in 1989 he has been in Parliament for five consecutive terms and held important portfolios of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry and Posts and Telecommunication.

He did not contest the last general election but was nominated to the parliament from the UPFA national list.