Monarch of Ceylon - (1948 - 1972)

The constitution created a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives[3], with the popularly-elected House indirectly naming the Senate[7]. The head of state was the governor general, a representative of the Ceylonese monarch and a predominantly ceremonial figure. The head of government was the prime minister, and he and his cabinet consisted of the largest political party in the legislature. Initially, the prominent party was the UNP, the United National Party. In the first parliamentary elections, the UNP gained 42 out of the 95 seats available, and also won the elections in 1952. When the first prime minister, D. S. Senanayake, was died of a stork, his son Dudley was appointed as prime minister. This kind of "hereditary" succession was one of the problems with the new government. In 1956, the radical socialist SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) won the elections, and Solomon Bandaranaike took power. The leftist SLFP established Sinhalese rather than English as the official language and the language used in schools and universities under the Sinhala Only Bill. This caused Tamil riots, as they spoke a different language. These riots culminated in the assassination of the prime minister, Bandaraike. His widow, සිරිමාවෝ, succeeded her husband as leader of the SLFP and was elected as the world's first female prime minister. She held office until 1977, with two exceptions in 1960 and 1965-1970, when the UNP held power. During her rule, she implemented a radical economic program of nationalization and land reform, a pro-Sinhalese educational and employment policy, and an independent foreign policy as part of the non-aligned movement


House of Windsor

House of Windsor

Governors-General
 
 
ERA
  • House of Windsor
  • 1948 - 1972
  • House of Windsor
  • 1948 - 1972
  • Governors-General
  • 1948 - 1972