Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Bandaranaike , 1916-2000, Sri Lankan political leader, b. Sirimavo Ratwatte. She and her husband, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike , converted to Buddhism from Christianity before he became prime minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1956. After his assassination (1959), she became the first woman in the world to serve as a nation's prime minister. She led the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which her husband had founded, and headed two coalition governments (1960-65, 1970-77). As prime minister, she emphasized Buddhist and Sinhalese nationalist policies and promoted a new constitution (1972) that proclaimed a republic and changed the country's name to Sri Lanka. The coalition broke up in 1975, and her government was defeated in 1977. She was expelled from parliament in 1980 and stripped (1980-82) of her civil rights because of abuses as prime minister. She reentered politics in the late 1980s and was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1988. In 1994 her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga , was elected president, and appointed Bandaranaike prime minister, a post she held until she resigned because of ill health in 2000.

Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias (1916–2000) Sri Lankan stateswoman, prime minister (1960–65, 1970–77, 1994–2000). Following the assassination (1959) of her husband, Solomon Bandaranaike, she assumed control of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and became the world's first woman prime minister. Her daughter, Kumaratunga (1945– ), became president in 1994, and Sirimavo returned as prime minister.

Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias (1916–2000) Sinhalese stateswoman, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1960–65; 1970–77; 1994– ). The world's first woman Prime Minister, she succeeded her husband, S. W. R. D. BANDARANAIKE, after his assassination. Opposition to her policies and continuing ethnic conflict resulted in an overwhelming defeat in the 1977 elections. She was charged with misuse of power in 1980, stripped of her civil rights for six years, and expelled from Parliament. Her daughter, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (1945– ), became Prime Minister and then President in 1994, being succeeded as Prime Minister by her mother.