Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office 14 November 1994 – 10 August 2000
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Succeeded by	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
In office 22 May 1972 – 23 July 1977
President	William Gopallawa
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Junius Jayewardene
Prime Minister of Ceylon
In office 29 May 1970 – 22 May 1972
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	William Gopallawa
Preceded by	Dudley Senanayake
Succeeded by	Position abolished
In office 21 July 1960 – 27 March 1965
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Oliver Goonetilleke William Gopallawa
Preceded by	Dudley Senanayake
Succeeded by	Dudley Senanayake
Personal details
Born	(1916-04-17)17 April 1916 British Ceylon
Died	10 October 2000(2000-10-10) (aged 84) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Spouse(s)	Solomon Bandaranaike (1940–1959)

Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike^[1] (17 April 1916 – 10 October 2000) was a Sri Lankan politician. She served as prime minister three times and was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. She was the first female to be elected head of government in the world.^[2] Bandaranaike was the widow of a previous prime minister, Solomon Bandaranaike, who was murdered in 1959. Her policies were based in socialism and similar to her husband's. All three of their children later served in the Sri Lankan government.^[3][4]

She spent 40 years in political office. She resigned on 10 August 2000. Exactly two months later she died, aged 84, of a heart attack.^[2]

1. ↑ Sinhala: සිරිමාවෝ රත්වත්තේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක. Tamil: சிறிமாவோ ரத்வத்த டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்க.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "1960: Ceylon chooses world's first woman PM". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference bbcobit was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
4. ↑ "Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaike (prime minister of Sri Lanka)". BRITANNICA-Online.