Thalatha Atukorale

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Hon.
Thalatha Atukorale
තලතා අතුකෝරල
தலதா அத்துக்கோரல
General Secretary of the United National Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
03 January 2025
Preceded byPalitha Range Bandara
Chairwoman of the Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya
In office
13 July 2020 – 22 August 2024
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRohini Kumari Wijerathna
Minister of Justice
In office
25 August 2017 – 22 November 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byWijeyadasa Rajapakshe
Succeeded byNimal Siripala de Silva
Minister of Prison Reforms
In office
1 May 2018 – 22 November 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byD.M. Swaminathan
Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion & Welfare
In office
12 January 2015 – 25 February 2018
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byDilan Perera
Succeeded byHarin Fernando
Member of Parliament
for Ratnapura District
In office
22 April 2004 – 21 August 2024
Majority113,617 preferential votes
Personal details
Born (1963-05-30) 30 May 1963 (age 62)
NationalitySri Lankan
PartyUnited National Party
(2004–2020, since 2024)
Other political
affiliations		Samagi Jana Balawegaya
(2020–2024)
ProfessionAttorney-at-Law

Thalatha Atukorale (born 30 May 1963) is a Sri Lankan politician and attorney-at-law. She has served as the current General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) since January 2025, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

Atukorale previously served as the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare from 2015 to 2018 under president Maithripala Sirisena, and as Minister of Justice from 2017 to 2019, the first woman to hold the portfolio in Sri Lanka.[1]

She also chaired the Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya, the women’s wing of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, from May 2020 until her resignation in August 2024.

Political career

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Atukorale entered active politics in 2004 following the death of her brother, Gamini Atukorale, a former cabinet minister and deputy leader of the United National Party. She was elected to parliament in 2004, 2010, 2015, and 2020 from the Ratnapura Electoral District.

She resigned from parliament on 21 August 2024, delivering a parliamentary address that included a strong critique of her party’s leader and presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa.[2]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Thalatha Atukorale
Year Constituency Party Alliance Votes Result
2004 Ratnapura District UNP UNF 113,617 Elected
2010 Ratnapura District UNP UNF 64,592 Elected
2015 Ratnapura District UNP UNFGG 145,828 Elected
2020 Ratnapura District SJB SJB 45,105 Elected

See also

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References

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  • "THALATHA ATUKORALE". Directory of Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
Specific
  1. ^ "Thalatha and Gamini sworn in to Wijeyadasa's portfolios".
  2. ^ "Thalatha thrashes Sajith before quitting party, Parliament". Daily FT. 22 August 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.


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