1988 Sri Lankan presidential election

none Sri Lanka presidential 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election 1982 1993 Sri Lankan presidential election 1993 19 December 1988 55.32% ( 25.74 pp) File:President premadasa.jpg Ranasinghe Premadasa United National Party 2,569,199 50.43% Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon 1960 (cropped).PNG Sirimavo Bandaranaike Sri Lanka Freedom Party 2,289,860 44.95% Wahlbezirkskarte Präsidentschaft Sri_Lanka 1988.svg Results by polling division President J. R. Jayewardene Ranasinghe Premadasa United National Party United National Party Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 19 December 1988. They were the second presidential elections held in the country's history. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa of the governing United National Party was elected, receiving 50.4% of all votes cast and defeating both the Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate, former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya candidate, Ossie Abeygunasekera. The election was held amidst both the Sri Lankan civil war and the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection. Voter turnout was only 55%, substantially lower than the previous election and the lowest turnout for a Sri Lankan presidential election. Background Under the provisions of the Constitution, the president is elected to a six-year term and may call for an early presidential election after completing four years of the first term. Then-incumbent president J. R. Jayawardene was inaugurated for a second term on 4 February 1983 and was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Jayawardene initially hinted at seeking a third term but later abandoned this plan and endorsed prime minister Ranasinghe Premadasa as the United National Party (UNP) candidate.THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION https://lankalaw.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1982Y0V0C0A3S.html 2025-11-09 lankalaw.net Nominations were accepted from 9:00 am to 11:00 am IST on 10 November 1988. The election date was announced by Gazette Extraordinary No. 531/12 on 11 November 1988. Campaign The 1988 election was contested amidst intense political instability and violence. Both main party candidates promised to abrogate the controversial Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and remove the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from the country. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the SLFP candidate, accused the government of manipulating the election. Voting did not take place in LTTE-controlled areas of the north and east. Election-related violence The election was held amid a wave of violence and intimidation by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurgency and retaliatory state action. According to contemporary reporting, the JVP attempted to disrupt the election with bombings, assassinations, and threats aimed at voters, election officials, and political gatherings.Violence fails to stop Sri Lankan election The Washington Post 20 December 1988 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/12/20/violence-fails-to-stop-sri-lankan-election/f7e94621-c274-41be-8906-35108576a928/ In many southern towns, where the JVP was its strongest, entire villages remained deserted on polling day, with some polling stations lacking staff because of threats. Civilians reported fear of reprisals if they attempted to vote. In certain districts, hundreds of thousands were effectively disenfranchised.Sri Lankans lay lives on the line to vote. Threats from extremists and military cast pall over presidential election The Christian Science Monitor 20 December 1988 https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/1220/olank.html There were multiple violent incidents during the campaign period and on election day. Bomb attacks occurred at party meetings, shootings targeted rally attendees, and opposition workers, especially those affiliated with the SLFP and smaller parties were killed.Tides of violence: electoral bloodshed in Sri Lanka 1987–1989 https://jec.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TIDES-OF-VIOLENCE-FINAL-3-PIAC.pdf 2025-11-09 The atmosphere of coercion and terror contributed to a significantly reduced voter turnout of about 55.4%, the lowest turnout for any Sri Lankan presidential election to date, indicating that many voters stayed away out of fear.Sri Lanka opposition leader disputes election result UPI 21 December 1988 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/12/21/Sri-Lanka-opposition-leader-disputes-election-result/9847598683600/ Results Despite the looming threat of the JVP insurgents, UNP candidate Ranasinghe Premadasa won a narrow but firm victory. Ranasinghe Premadasa United National Party 2569199 Sirimavo Bandaranaike Sri Lanka Freedom Party 2289860 Ossie Abeygunasekera Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya 235719 91445 9375742 Election Commission References http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/1988%20Presidential.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115413/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/1988%20Presidential.pdf 24 September 2015 Presidential Election - 19.12.1988 Election Commission of Sri Lanka 28 October 2021 dead http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/election/presidential1988.jsp https://web.archive.org/web/20161014082311/http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/election/presidential1988.jsp 14 October 2016 1988 Sri Lanka Presidential Election Results LankaNewspapers.com 28 October 2021 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Presidential