Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was born on 29 June 1945, in Colombo, then Ceylon, into one of the country’s most prominent political families—her father, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, served as Prime Minister until his assassination in 1959, and her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, became the world’s first female Prime Minister following his death.
.Educated at Sciences Po in Paris, where she studied political science and development economics, she also earned a diploma in group leadership and had begun a doctoral program before returning to Sri Lanka. Her political career advanced steadily: she became Chief Minister of the Western Province in 1993, Prime Minister in August 1994, and just three months later was elected Sri Lanka’s first female Executive President, a position she held from 12 November 1994, until 19 November 2005, winning a second six‑year term in 1999.
During her presidency, Kumaratunga championed economic reforms, peace talks with Tamil separatists, substantial devolution proposals, and a campaign against government corruption.. She survived a serious assassination attempt in December 1999, which resulted in permanent damage to her right eye. Legally barred from seeking a third term, she retired from active politics in 2005 and later focused on reconciliation through her foundation and various international leadership initiatives.
