President Maithripala Sirisena turns 68 today

COLOMBO (News 1st) - President Maithripala Sirisena turned 68 today (September 03). The Sri Lanka Freedom Party was officially launched on the 02nd of September 1951, and Maithripala Sirisena was born the very next day. He was appointed to the position of Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Youth Organisation for the Polonnaruwa Electorate in 1967 marking his debut in politics. He secured a victory in the February 1989 Parliamentary Elections and took oaths on March 09th that year. In 1994 he secured the highest number of votes from Polonnaruwa and went on to hold the portfolios of Deputy Minister of Irrigation in the PA government. In 2001, he was elevated to the position of General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In 2004, he became the Leader of the House in Parliament and in 2005 he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Mahaweli Development and later in 2009 when the war was brought to an end he served as the Acting Defence Minister. In 2010, he was made the Minister of Health and with a resounding victory on January 8, 2015, Maithripala Sirisena became the 06th Executive President of Sri Lanka.