Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) was President of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019. He was born in Polonnaruwa and entered Parliament in 1989, holding several cabinet portfolios including Health and Agriculture.
In November 2014 he left the government to contest the presidency as the common candidate of a broad opposition coalition, and won in January 2015. His term saw the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution, which reduced presidential powers and restored a two-term limit, and the establishment of independent commissions. It also included the constitutional crisis of October 2018, when his attempt to replace the Prime Minister was reversed by the Supreme Court.