| Election Name: | 1993 Sri Lankan presidential election |
| Country: | Sri Lanka |
| Type: | presidential |
| Previous Election: | 1988 Sri Lankan presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 1988 |
| Election Date: | 7 May 1993 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Next Election: | 1994 Sri Lankan presidential election |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
| Candidate1: | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Party1: | United National Party |
| Electoral Vote1: | Unopposed |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (acting) |
| After Election: | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Before Party: | United National Party |
| After Party: | United National Party |
An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 7 May 1993, following the assassination of president Ranasinghe Premadasa by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Colombo.[1] The president of Sri Lanka was elected by the Parliament of Sri Lanka in a secret ballot to decide who would complete the remainder of Premadasa's term.
Incumbent prime minister and acting president Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was the only contester for the presidency and was unanimously elected, without a vote, as the fourth president of Sri Lanka. He was named as the candidate of the ruling United National Party.[2] Wijetunga was to continue the presidential term of Premadasa until the 1994 Sri Lankan presidential election was held in November 1994.[3]
According to the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act of 1981, "Where the office of President becomes vacant in terms of paragraph (1) of Article 38 of the Constitution, as provided by Article 40 of the Constitution, Parliament shall elect as President one of its members who is qualified to be elected to the office of President, to hold office for the unexpired period of the term of office of the President vacating office.[4] [5]
According to the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act of 1981, "Where the office of President becomes vacant in terms of paragraph (1) of Article 38 of the Constitution, as provided by Article 40 of the Constitution, Parliament shall elect as President one of its members who is qualified to be elected to the office of President, to hold office for the unexpired period of the term of office of the President vacating office." The constitution requires for a successor to be elected within 30 days.[6]
| Date | Day | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1993 | Saturday | President Ranasinghe Premadasa is assassinated by a LTTE bomb blast in Colombo while attending a May Day rally. |
| Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga takes oath as acting president. | ||
| Speaker announces presidential election through Parliament within seven days. | ||
| 7 May 1993 | Friday | Secretary General of Parliament officially informs the House that the office of President has fallen vacant and calls for nominations. |
| As he was the sole candidate, prime minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga is elected as the 4th president of Sri Lanka without a vote, and assumes office until the end of Premadasa's term. |
Following his appointment, Wijetunga appointed UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister.[7]
The UNP government was defeated by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by Chandrika Kumaratunga in the August 1994 parliamentary elections, thus Kumaratunga would briefly succeed Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister.[8]