Colombo: Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has been elected as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed the new Prime Minister. Harini Amarasuriya, a member of the National People’s Power (NPP), is also a teacher and an activist. The 54-year-old National People’s Power (NPP) leader was sworn in by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. She is the first academic-turned-politician to take charge as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
She has been assigned the portfolios of the Minister of Justice, Education, Labour, Industries, Science & Tech, Health, and Investment.
Harini is a product of Bishop’s College, Colombo & The University of Edinburgh.
Dr Harini Amarasuriya was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Studies, at the Open University of Sri Lanka.
She obtained her PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Social Anthropology. Her research interests include state-society relations, political movements, dissent, and activism
Amarasuriya is the third female Prime Minister in the country’s history. The world’s first female Prime Minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, also from Sri Lanka.
