Wijeyananda Dahanayake

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Hon. Wijeyananda Dahanayake
5th Prime Minister of Ceylon
In office 26 September 1959 – 20 March 1960
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
Preceded by	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Succeeded by	Dudley Senanayake
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1965–1970
Prime Minister	Dudley Senanayake
Preceded by	Maithripala Senanayake
Succeeded by	Felix Dias Bandaranaike
Minister of Education
In office 1956–1959
Prime Minister	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Preceded by	M. D. Banda
Succeeded by	Bernard Aluwihare
Member of Parliament for Galle
In office 1979 – 20 December 1988
Preceded by	Albert de Silva
Succeeded by	Constituency Abolished
In office 1960 – 18 May 1977
Preceded by	W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena
Succeeded by	Albert de Silva
In office 1947 – 5 December 1959
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena
Personal details
Born	(1902-10-22)22 October 1902 Galle, British Ceylon
Died	4 May 1997(1997-05-04) (aged 94) Galle, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sinhala Language Front Lanka Sama Samaja Party Ceylon Democratic Party United National Party
Education	S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Richmond College, Galle
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Teacher
Nickname	Bannis Mama

Wijeyananda Dahanayake (Sinhala: විජයානන්ද දහනායක Tamil: விஜயானந்த தகநாயக்கா; 22 October 1902 – 4 May 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from September 1959 to March 1960.^[1]

Born to as twin to a conservative family in Galle as Don Wijeyananda Dahanayake, he was educated at Richmond College, Galle and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He became a teacher at St. Aloysius' College, Galle before entering active politics having been elected to the Galle Municipal Council in 1939 as a leftist and served as Mayor of Galle. In 1944, he was elected to the State Council of Ceylon and was thereafter elected to the House of Representatives. He served as the member of parliament from Galle from 1947 to 1977, with a brief interval in 1960. In 1956, he was appointed to the Cabinet of Ministers as the Minister of Education. He unexpectedly succeeded S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike as Prime Minister when the latter was assassinated on 26 September 1959. His tenure as the caretaker Prime Minister was short as he was unable to keep together the alliance formed by Bandaranaike. He dismissed the Cabinet of Ministers and called for fresh elections, for which he formed his own party. Although he lost his parliamentary seat in the 1960 March elections, he regained it in the general election that followed two months later. Sitting in the opposition from 1960 to 1965, he served as Minister of Home Affairs from 1960 to 1965 and again sat in opposition from 1970 to 1977. He then served as Minister of Co-operatives from 1986 to 1988. He is noted for having contested from almost every major party of his time and has the record for the longest speech in parliament, lasting thirteen and half hours.