Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 9 November 1994. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994 and voter turnout was 70%. Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the governing People's Alliance was elected, receiving 62% of the vote and becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka.
Background.
President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated in 1993 by the Tamil Tigers and was succeeded by the Prime Minister, Dingiri Banda Wijetunga. President Wijetunga chose not to run in the 1994 election; therefore the United National Party selected Leader of the Opposition Gamini Dissanayake as their candidate. His main challenger was Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the People's Alliance, whose party had won the parliamentary elections earlier in 1994.
On 24 October 1994, during his presidential campaign, Gamini Dissanayake was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers. His name on the ballot paper was replaced by his wife Srima Dissanayake, thus making the election the first Sri Lankan presidential election in which both main party candidates were women.
Results.
Kumaratunga won the election by a record margin with 62.28% of the vote.
References.
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