Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

The deputy speaker and chairman of committees is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (and its predecessors the National State Assembly, the House of Representatives and the State Council) who presides over sittings of Parliament in the absence of the Speaker.^[1] The current deputy speaker and chairman of committees is Ajith Rajapaksa.

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලි‌මේන්තු නියෝජ්‍ය කථානායක பாராளுமன்ற துணை சபாநாயகர்
Emblem of Sri Lanka
Flag of Sri Lanka
Incumbent Ajith Rajapakse since 17 May 2022
Style	Honourable Deputy Speaker
Appointer	Parliament of Sri Lanka
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Inaugural holder	Forester Augustus Obeysekera
Formation	7 July 1931; 93 years ago (1931-07-07) (as Deputy Speaker of the State Council of Ceylon)
Succession	Fourth in the presidential line of succession
Website	www.parliament.lk

List of Deputy speakers and chairmen of committees

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees

Name		Portrait	Party	Took office	Left office	Legislature	Refs
	Forester Augustus Obeysekera					State Council	[2][3][4]
	Susantha de Fonseka						[5][6]
	R. A. de Mel		United National Party	14 October 1947	23 August 1948	House of Representatives	[7][8]
	H. W. Amarasuriya		United National Party	2 September 1948	14 December 1948		[7][8]
	Albert Peries		United National Party	15 December 1948	13 February 1951		[7][2][8][9]
	H. S. H. Ismail		Independent	14 February 1951	8 April 1952		[7][2][9]
				10 June 1952	18 February 1956		[7]
	Piyasena Tennakoon		Sri Lanka Freedom Party[10]	20 April 1956	16 September 1958		[7]
	R. S. Pelpola		Sri Lanka Freedom Party[11]	18 September 1958	5 December 1959		[7]
				30 March 1960	23 April 1960		[7]
	Hugh Fernando		United National Party[12]	5 August 1960	23 January 1964		[7][2][13][14]
	D. A. Rajapaksa		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	11 February 1964	12 November 1964		[7][15][16][17]
	Shirley Corea		United National Party	5 April 1965	17 September 1967		[7][2][9][18][19]
	Razik Fareed			28 September 1967	28 February 1968		[7][20][21]
	M. Sivasithamparam		All Ceylon Tamil Congress	8 March 1968	25 March 1970		[7][2][22][23][24]
	I. A. Cader		Sri Lanka Freedom Party[25]	7 June 1970	22 May 1972		[7][26][27]
				22 May 1972	18 May 1977	National State Assembly	[7]
	M. A. Bakeer Markar		United National Party	4 August 1977	7 September 1978		[7][28][29]
	Norman Waidyaratne		United National Party	21 September 1978	20 December 1988	Parliament	[7][30][31]
	Gamini Fonseka		United National Party	9 March 1989	24 June 1994		[7][32][33]
	Anil Moonesinghe		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	24 August 1994	18 August 2000		[7][34][35]
				14 September 2000	23 September 2000		[7]
	Sarath Munasinghe			18 October 2000	10 October 2001		[7][36][37][38][39]
	Gitanjana Gunawardena		Mahajana Eksath Peramuna	18 May 2004	1 July 2008		[7][40][41][42]
	Piyankara Jayaratne		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	8 July 2008	9 February 2010		[7][43][44][45]
				9 March 2010	20 April 2010		[7]
				22 April 2010	22 November 2010		[7][46]
	Chandima Weerakkody		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 November 2010	26 June 2015		[7][47][48]
	Thilanga Sumathipala		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1 September 2015	8 June 2018		[7][49][50][51][52]
	Ananda Kumarasiri		United National Party	8 June 2018	2 March 2020
	Ranjith Siyambalapitiya		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	20 August 2020	6 May 2022
	Ajith Rajapakse		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	17 May 2022	Incumbent		[53][54]

References

1. "Constitution of Sri Lanka: Chapter X - The Legislature – Parliament". Policy Research and Information Unit, Presidential Secretariat, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
2. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (12 September 2015). "Karu Jayasuriya is the latest in a long line of illustrious Sri Lankan Speakers". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
3. "First State Council begins". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 8 July 2007.
4. "Mr. Speaker plays a vital role". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 June 2006.
5. "My experience with 'Three LSSP comrades' of yesteryear". Ceylon Today. 1 September 2014.
6. "The fascinating story of Bracegirdle". Daily FT. 30 May 2015.
7. "Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
8. "Molamure is elected Speaker of First Parliament". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 14 October 2007.
9. Ranatunga, D. C. (31 August 2015). "Election of Mr. Speaker". Daily FT.
10. "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Tennakoon, Piyasena". Retrieved 12 April 2016.
11. "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Pelpola, Richard Stanley". Retrieved 12 April 2016.
12. Wilson, Jeyaratnam (10 June 2010). Electoral Politics in an Emergent State: The Ceylon General Election of May 1970. Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780521153119.
13. Kurera, S. K. J. (2 April 2010). "18th Death Anniversary of former Speaker Hugh Fernando today". The Island (Sri Lanka).
14. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (19 November 2014). "Monumental rise of a mischievous boy from Medamulana". Daily FT.
15. Gunasekera, D. E. W. (6 November 2011). "D.A. Rajapaksa- the pulse of Ruhuna". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
16. Kurukularatne, Buddhika (26 December 2004). "Men and Memories: D. A. Rajapaksa—from farmer to minister". The Island (Sri Lanka).
17. "Host of religious activities held: D A Rajapaksa commemorated". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 8 November 2012.
18. Weersinghe, Milton (20 April 2000). "Appreciations: S. C. Shirley Corea". The Island (Sri Lanka).
19. Wijesekera, Priyanee (14 March 2010). "The Speaker". The Sunday Leader.
20. "Renaming Bristol Street as Sir Razik Fareed Mawatha: Sir Razik Fareed common man's leader - Omar Kamil". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 7 May 2011.
21. Cader, M. C. A. (20 August 2009). "Uncrowned King of Ceylon Moors". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
22. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (9 June 2002). "Life and times of Sivasithamparam". The Sunday Leader.
23. "Sivasithamparam passes away". The Island (Sri Lanka). 7 June 2002.
24. Vimalarajah, V. (16 February 2002). "Felicitation to M. Sivasithamparam". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
25. "Parliament of Sri Lanka - Cader, Ibrahim Adaham Abdul". Retrieved 12 April 2016.
26. "Caders promote and foster Sri Lanka Turf Club". The Island (Sri Lanka). 12 April 2008.
27. Azwer, A. H. M. (18 June 2009). "Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmud: An illustrious Muslim hero of Ruhuna". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
28. "Deshamanya Bakeer Markar". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 13 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
29. Kevitiyagala, Ivan (9 September 2013). "Bakeer Markar remembered!". Ceylon Today.
30. Kurukularatne, Buddhika (15 June 1997). "Two of a kind, with one goal". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
31. "The 13th Amendment : I cannot vote for this Bill -Gamani". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 17 July 2013.
32. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (28 September 2013). "Gamini Fonseka : the uncrowned monarch of Sinhala Cinema". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
33. Palakidnar, Ananth (1 October 2015). "Prince remembers Gamini". Ceylon Today.
34. "Anil Moonesinghe passes away". The Island (Sri Lanka). 10 December 2002.
35. Premalal, K. K. D. (24 December 2012). "Anil Moonesinghe, a devoted politician - Speaker". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
36. "Ex-SLA spokesman elected deputy speaker". TamilNet. 18 October 2000.
37. "Major General Sarath Munasinghe passes away". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 18 March 2008.
38. "Major Gen. Sarath Munasinghe dead". The Island (Sri Lanka). 18 March 2008.
39. Athas, Iqbal (14 October 2001). "Situation Report: Tigers smuggle in fresh arms for renewed war". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
40. "House spared of fireworks". The Island, Sri Lanka. 19 May 2004.
41. Wijayapala, Ranil; Malawaraarachchi, Bharatha (19 May 2004). "Geethanjana Deputy Speaker". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
42. "Parliament elects UPFA Deputy Speaker". TamilNet. 18 May 2004.
43. "SL parliament elects new Deputy Speaker uncontested". TamilNet. 8 July 2008.
44. "Priyankara Jayaratne new Deputy Speaker". The Island (Sri Lanka). 9 July 2008.
45. Kumarasinghe, Uditha; Range, Irangika; Marasinghe, Sandasen (9 July 2008). "New Deputy Speaker". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
46. "Chamal Rajapakse new Speaker, Fonseka attends parliament". TamilNet. 22 April 2010.
47. "New Deputy Speaker". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
48. Indrajith, Saman (24 November 2010). "Weerakkody elected Dy. Speaker". The Island (Sri Lanka).
49. "Karu appointed new Speaker". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 1 September 2015.
50. "Thilanga appointed Deputy Speaker". Ceylon Today. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
51. "Thilanga appointed Deputy Speaker". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 1 September 2015.
52. Indrajith, Saman (2 September 2015). "Karu,Thilanga elected unanimously as Speaker and Deputy Speaker". The Island (Sri Lanka).
53. "MP Ajith Rajapakse elected new Deputy Speaker of Parliament". Ada Derana. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
54. "Sri Lanka govt nominee Ajith Rajapaksha elected deputy speaker". Economy Next. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.