Following her husband’s assassination, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was persuaded by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to become its leader. The SLFP won a decisive victory in the July 1960 general election, and she became the world’s first female prime minister. She would serve three terms as prime minister (1960-1965, 1970-1977, and 1994-2000), making her one of the longest-serving prime ministers in history and a pioneering figure for women in politics globally.
1960 AD
World's First Female Prime Minister
Following her husband's assassination, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was persuaded by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to become its leader. The SLFP won a decisive victory in the July 1960 general election, and she became the world's first female prime minister. She would serve three terms as prime minister (1960-1965, 1970-1977, and 1994-2000), making her one of the longest-serving prime ministers in history and a pioneering figure for women in politics globally.