1982 Sri Lankan presidential election

The 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election was the inaugural presidential election, held 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 and defeating his main opponent Hector Kobbekaduwa of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.^[1][2]

1982 Sri Lankan presidential election

20 October 1982 1988 →
Turnout	81.06%
Nominee J. R. Jayewardene Hector Kobbekaduwa Party UNP SLFP Popular vote 3,450,811 2,548,438 Percentage 52.91% 39.07%
Winners of polling divisions. Jayewardene in green and Kobbekaduwa in blue.
President before election J. R. Jayewardene UNP Elected President J. R. Jayewardene UNP

After winning a landslide victory in the 1977 general 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 1st Executive President of Sri Lanka on 4 February 1978.

Under the Provisions of the Constitution, the president is elected to a six-year term and the president can call for an early presidential election after completing four years of his 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.^[3]