June 29, Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as the new chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) at a ceremony today at Temple Trees.
He is the first party leader to hail from outside the Bandaranaike family, taking the reins from former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
The party was founded by the former President’s father, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, after the latter disagreed with the United National Party’s policies and left it in 1951. D.A. Rajapaksa, the father of Mahinda Rajapaksa, was a close associate of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and followed him in the formation of the new party.
President Rajapaksa was appointed party leader today without contest. Though he won the presidential elections last November, former President Kumaratunga made efforts to remain party leader. But in a meeting yesterday, the party’s membership supported Rajapaksa’s appointment to the post.
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