1988 Sri Lankan presidential election

1988 Sri Lankan presidential election

← 1982 19 December 1988 1993 →
Turnout	55.32% 25.74 pp
Nominee Ranasinghe Premadasa Sirimavo Bandaranaike Party UNP SLFP Popular vote 2,569,199 2,289,860 Percentage 50.43% 44.95%
Winners of polling divisions. Premadasa in green, Bandaranaike in blue and Abeygunasekera in red.
President before election J. R. Jayewardene UNP Elected President Ranasinghe Premadasa UNP

Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 19 December 1988. Nominations were accepted on 10 November 1988. 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 55.32%, substantially lower than the previous election and the lowest turnout for a Sri Lankan presidential election.