# 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka for the first time on 20 October 1982. Incumbent president J. R. Jayewardene of the governing United National Party was re-elected, receiving 53% of all valid votes cast, defeating his main opponent Hector Kobbekaduwa of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

## Background

After winning a landslide victory in the 1977 parliamentary elections, prime minister J. R. Jayawardene introduced the Executive Presidency through the 1978 constitutional reforms. Consequently, prime minister J. R. Jayawardene was inaugurated as the first executive president of Sri Lanka on 4 February 1978.
Under the Provisions of the Constitution, the president was elected to a six-year term and can call for an early presidential election after completing four years of their first term. When president Jayawardene's first four years of his first term concluded on 4 February 1978, he decided to call an early presidential election and sought reelection for a second term.
Nominations were accepted on 17 September 1982 and voter turnout was 81.06%. The election was described as a fight between capitalism and socialism: Kobbekaduwa, who advocated to carry on the policies of the previous SLFP-led regime of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was expected to undo most of the open market and capitalist reforms brought in by president Jayewardene.

## Results

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | J. R. Jayewardene | United National Party | 3,450,811 | 52.91 |
| | Hector Kobbekaduwa | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 2,548,438 | 39.07 |
| | Rohana Wijeweera | Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna | 273,428 | 4.19 |
| | Kumar Ponnambalam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress | 173,934 | 2.67 |
| | Colvin R. de Silva | Lanka Sama Samaja Party | 58,531 | 0.90 |
| | Vasudeva Nanayakkara | Nava Sama Samaja Party | 17,005 | 0.26 |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,522,147 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 6,522,147 | 98.78 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 80,470 | 1.22 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,602,617 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 8,145,015 | 81.06 |
| Source: Election Commission |||||

### By district

* Districts won by Jayewardene
* Districts won by Ponnambalam
Summary of the 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election by electoral district :
| Electoral District | Province | Jayewardene | Jayewardene | Kobbekaduwa | Kobbekaduwa | Others | Others | Total Valid | Rejected votes | Total Polled | Registered Electors | Turnout |
| Electoral District | Province | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Total Valid | Rejected votes | Total Polled | Registered Electors | Turnout |
| Ampara | Eastern | 90,772 | 56.39% | 53,096 | 32.99% | 17,102 | 10.62% | 160,970 | 2,101 | 163,071 | 204,268 | 79.83% |
| Anuradhapura | North Central | 117,873 | 49.84% | 102,973 | 43.54% | 15,677 | 6.63% | 236,523 | 2,294 | 238,817 | 278,594 | 85.72% |
| Badulla | Uva | 141,062 | 58.67% | 88,462 | 36.79% | 10,916 | 4.54% | 240,440 | 2,982 | 243,422 | 280,187 | 86.88% |
| Batticaloa | Eastern | 48,094 | 40.05% | 21,688 | 18.06% | 50,294 | 41.89% | 120,076 | 2,879 | 122,955 | 172,480 | 71.29% |
| Colombo | Western | 436,290 | 57.71% | 276,476 | 36.57% | 43,265 | 5.72% | 756,031 | 7,990 | 764,021 | 972,196 | 78.59% |
| Galle | Southern | 211,544 | 50.23% | 180,925 | 42.96% | 28,669 | 6.81% | 421,138 | 5,198 | 426,336 | 512,489 | 83.19% |
| Gampaha | Western | 365,838 | 52.50% | 301,808 | 43.31% | 29,192 | 4.19% | 696,838 | 5,992 | 702,830 | 835,265 | 84.14% |
| Hambantota | Southern | 90,545 | 45.90% | 76,402 | 38.73% | 30,331 | 15.37% | 197,278 | 1,804 | 199,082 | 241,956 | 82.28% |
| Jaffna | Northern | 44,780 | 20.54% | 77,300 | 35.46% | 95,923 | 44.00% | 218,003 | 10,610 | 228,613 | 493,705 | 46.31% |
| Kalutara | Western | 211,592 | 50.15% | 185,874 | 44.06% | 24,426 | 5.79% | 421,892 | 5,290 | 427,182 | 499,215 | 85.57% |
| Kandy | Central | 289,621 | 59.80% | 178,647 | 36.89% | 16,029 | 3.31% | 484,297 | 4,548 | 488,845 | 564,767 | 86.56% |
| Kegalle | Sabaragamuwa | 195,444 | 57.02% | 126,538 | 36.92% | 20,780 | 6.06% | 342,762 | 4,537 | 347,299 | 406,548 | 85.43% |
| Kurunegala | North Western | 345,769 | 55.77% | 248,479 | 40.08% | 25,730 | 4.15% | 619,978 | 5,431 | 625,409 | 717,505 | 87.16% |
| Matale | Central | 94,031 | 58.11% | 59,299 | 36.65% | 8,484 | 5.24% | 161,814 | 1,414 | 163,228 | 187,276 | 87.16% |
| Matara | Southern | 164,725 | 49.32% | 144,587 | 43.29% | 24,671 | 7.39% | 333,983 | 3,091 | 337,074 | 399,888 | 84.29% |
| Monaragala | Uva | 51,264 | 49.38% | 44,115 | 42.49% | 8,442 | 8.13% | 103,821 | 1,553 | 105,374 | 126,558 | 83.26% |
| Nuwara Eliya | Central | 109,017 | 63.10% | 57,093 | 33.05% | 6,659 | 3.85% | 172,769 | 2,048 | 174,817 | 201,878 | 86.60% |
| Polonnaruwa | North Central | 59,414 | 56.26% | 37,243 | 35.26% | 8,958 | 8.48% | 105,615 | 1,064 | 106,679 | 127,624 | 83.59% |
| Puttalam | North Western | 128,877 | 59.12% | 80,006 | 36.70% | 9,097 | 4.17% | 217,980 | 1,995 | 219,975 | 267,675 | 82.18% |
| Ratnapura | Sabaragamuwa | 175,903 | 50.90% | 152,506 | 44.13% | 17,195 | 4.98% | 345,604 | 3,407 | 349,011 | 402,202 | 86.78% |
| Trincomalee | Eastern | 45,522 | 48.64% | 31,700 | 33.87% | 16,374 | 17.49% | 93,596 | 1,795 | 95,391 | 133,646 | 71.38% |
| Vanni | Northern | 32,834 | 46.42% | 23,221 | 32.83% | 14,684 | 20.76% | 70,739 | 2,447 | 73,186 | 119,093 | 61.45% |
| Total | Total | 3,450,811 | 52.91% | 2,548,438 | 39.07% | 522,898 | 8.02% | 6,522,147 | 80,470 | 6,602,617 | 8,145,015 | 81.06% |