1994 Sri Lankan presidential election

← 1988 9 November 1994 1999 →
Turnout	70.47% 15.15 pp
Nominee Chandrika Kumaratunga Srima Dissanayake Party SLFP UNP Alliance People's Alliance — Popular vote 4,709,205 2,715,283 Percentage 62.28% 35.91%
Winners of polling divisions. Kumaratunga in blue and Dissanayake in green.
President before election Dingiri Banda Wijetunga UNP Elected President Chandrika Kumaratunga SLFP

Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 9 November 1994. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994 and electoral participation was 70.47%. Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga of the governing People's Alliance was elected, receiving 62% of all votes cast.

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

Results

Kumaratunga won the election by a record margin with 62.28% of the vote.^[1]