First Lady of Sri Lanka
First Lady of Sri Lanka refers to the wife of the president of Sri Lanka. To date, there have been seven women who have been married to Sri Lankan presidents in office and have served in the role. Sri Lanka's current first lady is Ioma Rajapaksa wife of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has held the position since 2019. There have been no first gentlemen of Sri Lanka to date. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the country's first female head of state, was a widow while in office. In recent years the holders of the title  have been formally or informally referred to by the title First Lady or First Lady of Sri Lanka, though there are no provisions for such in the constitution. Origins. The office of the president of Sri Lanka was created in 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic. William Gopallawa who was the governor-general of Ceylon at the time became the country's inaugural president. His wife, Seelawathie Gopallawa, became the first wife of a president of Sri Lanka. When J. R. Jayewardene became the next president, his wife became known as Lady Elina Jayewardene during and after his presidency . Thereafter, during the presidency of Ranasinghe Premadasa, his wife Hema Premadasa as she was referred to, took on a very viable role and became a public figure unlike before. Wimalawathi Kumarihami, the wife of the president D. B. Wijethunge was mentioned as the first lady that the public has never seen. Chandrika Kumaratunga who was president from 1994 to 2005 was a widow as her husband, film star Vijaya Kumaratunga, was killed in 1987 and she was the first female president of Sri Lanka. When Mahinda Rajapaksa became president, his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa took a higher profile role, using the  title of first lady and becoming a public figure during her husband's presidency, with her own naval aide and staff funded by the Presidential Secretariat. In 2015, Maithripala Sirisena took office and his wife, Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari, has maintained a low profile.