| Election Name: | 1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election |
| Country: | Sri Lanka |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1989 Sri Lankan parliamentary election |
| Previous Year: | 1989 |
| Outgoing Members: | 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka |
| Next Election: | 2000 Sri Lankan parliamentary election |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
| Elected Members: | 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka |
| Seats For Election: | All 225 seats in the Parliament of Sri Lanka 113 seats were needed for a majority |
| Election Date: | 16 August 1994 |
| Turnout: | 76.24% |
| Image1: | Chandrika Kumaratunga with PM Modi (cropped).jpg |
| Leader1: | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Leader Since1: | 1994 |
| Party1: | People's Alliance (Sri Lanka) |
| Leaders Seat1: | Gampaha District |
| Last Election1: | 31.90%, 67 seats |
| Seats1: | 105 |
| Seat Change1: | 38 |
| Popular Vote1: | 3,887,823 |
| Percentage1: | 48.94% |
| Swing1: | 17.04pp |
| Leader2: | D. B. Wijetunga |
| Leader Since2: | 1993 |
| Party2: | United National Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | n/a |
| Last Election2: | 50.92%, 125 seats |
| Seats2: | 94 |
| Seat Change2: | 31 |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,498,370 |
| Percentage2: | 44.04% |
| Swing2: | 6.88pp |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Prime Minister | |
| Posttitle: | Prime Minister-designate |
| Before Election: | Ranil Wickremasinghe |
| After Election: | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Before Party: | United National Party |
| After Party: | People's Alliance (Sri Lanka) |
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 16 August 1994. They marked the decisive end of seventeen years of United National Party rule and a revival of Sri Lankan democracy.
Democracy in Sri Lanka had seemed doomed as the presidencies of J.R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa arbitrarily banned opposition parties, severely muzzled the media, and routinely used death squads, torture, and kidnappings in the two civil conflicts against the LTTE and JVP. The UNP had simply cancelled the 1983 parliamentary elections; its control of the media led it to victory in the 1988 and 1989 elections.
The population was increasingly tired of war and repression, worn out with jingoistic Sinhalese nationalism, and wanted a return to freedom, peace, and democracy. Chandrika Kumaratunga, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, formed a coalition with small leftist parties called the People's Alliance. This was in some ways a revival of her mother's coalition from the 1970s, but this time campaigning for rapprochement with the Tamils rather than their marginalization.
The PA did not win a majority, but was able to govern with the support of the smaller parties.
See also: Results of the 1994 Sri Lankan general election by province.
See also: Results of the 1994 Sri Lankan general election by electoral district.
See also: 10th Sri Lankan Parliament.
The 1994 election did not live up to its great hopes. The PA government was unable to come to an agreement with the LTTE, and ended up prosecuting war just as brutally as its UNP predecessor. The Executive Presidency, which Kumaratunga had promised to abolish, remained as powerful as before.