Speaker of the Ninth Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana (born on 10th October 1945) is presently serving as the 11th Speaker of the 09th Parliament of Sri Lanka. Having completed his primary education at Makandura Maha Vidyalaya, and his secondary education at Central College Tellijjawila and Rahula College Matara, Mr. Abeywardana entered the University of Colombo in 1965 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1968.
Thereafter, Mr. Abeywardana joined the Government Clerical Services in the Government of Sri Lanka (1969-1971) and served as a Government Graduate Trainee – Small Industries Department (1971-1975), a Management Assistant – Government Handicrafts Emporium LAKSALA (1975-1976) and a Management Assistant - Weaving Supplies Corporation (1976-1977). Thereafter, he served as the Chairman of the Paranthan Chemical Corporation from 1977 to 1983, and as the Chairman of the Lanka Dairy Development Foundation from 1988 to 1990.
During his successful career in the public service, Mr. Abeywardana joined the United National Party Youth Front as a Central Committee Member (1974-1977) and was also elected the Chairman of the National Management Assistant Association of Sri Lanka (1974-1976).
Mr. Abeywardana made his political debut in 1983 when he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the United National Party with a substantial majority in the by-election held for the Hakmana electorate in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. He then served as a Member of Parliament until 1987 when he was compelled to resign following his vote against the controversial Indo-Lanka Peace Accord (1987).
Having resigned from Parliament, he joined the Democratic United National Front, a breakaway group of the then ruling United National Party. Thereafter, Mr. Abeywardana became Chairman of the Southern Provincial Council in 1993, and was also nominated as a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Southern Province in the same year. He became the Chief Minister of the Southern Province, a hallmark of his political career, in 1994 and served in the said post until 1999. Subsequently, he entered the Parliament in 2000 after contesting as a candidate in the 2000 General Election, having resigned from parliament, he was again appointed the Chief Minister of the Southern Province, a position he served in until 2001.
Mr. Abeywardana entered the Parliament subsequent to contesting in the 2001 General Election, and he served as a Member of Parliament until 2004. In 2004, he was appointed the Deputy Minister of Health and Nutrition until 2005 when he was appointed the Cabinet Minister of Cultural affairs & National Heritage, a position he served in until 2010. Subsequent to the 2010 General Election, Mr. Abeywardana served as the Minister of Agriculture until 2015, and thereafter, was appointed the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, a position he resigned from in 2015 itself. After his resignation, Mr. Abeywardana became a member of the newly formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and served as a Member of Parliament until 2020. During this period, he served as the Cabinet Minister of Industries and Commerce in 2018 and as the State Minister of Irrigation and Rural Development in 2020.
Having been elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2020 General Election, Mr. Abeywardana was elected the 11th Speaker of the 9th Parliament on 20th August 2020, a position he serves in to date. Mr. Abeywardana is married and has five children.