[6][7] His victory in the election was generally viewed as unexpected, coming to office through the votes won from the alternative Sinhala-majority rural constituency and the Tamil and Muslim minority groups that were alienated by the Rajapaksa government on post-war reconciliation and growing sectarian violence.

[68] Sirisena narrowly escaped death on 9 October 2008 when a convoy he was part of was attacked by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's suicide bomber at Piriwena Junction in Boralesgamuwa, Colombo.

[75] Following days of speculation in the media, Sirisena announced on 21 November 2014 that he would challenge incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2015 presidential election as the common opposition candidate.

[77][78] Sirisena claimed that everything in Sri Lanka was controlled by one family and that the country was heading towards a dictatorship with rampant corruption, nepotism and a breakdown of the rule of law.

[90][91][92] Populist measures in the manifesto included a commitment to write-off 50% of farmers' loans, reduce fuel prices by removing taxes and a salary increase of Rs.

[96][97] The manifesto also stated that the casino licences granted to Kerry Packer's Crown Resort and John Keells Holdings's Water Front will be cancelled.

[110][111][112] According to Mangala Samaraweera and Rajitha Senaratne, senior figures in the Sirisena campaign, Rajapaksa attempted to stage a coup in order to stay in power when it became clear he was going to lose the election.

[122] Sirisena was sworn in as Sri Lanka's sixth executive president before Supreme Court judge K. Sripavan in Independence Square, Colombo at 6:20 p.m. on 9 January 2015.

With an interim cabinet formed on 12 January, Sirisena called the Parliamentary elections, taking the defence portfolio for himself, and appointing Ranil Wickremesinghe as minister of reconciliation, policy development and economic affairs, to go with his prime ministership.

"[167][168] On 20 August 2015 the central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the UPFA, agreed to form a national government with the UNP for two years.

[177][178] On the evening of 26 October 2018, Sirisena, in a sudden move, sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister after the United People's Freedom Alliance withdrew from the unity government.

Sirisena promptly prorogued Parliament and appointed a new Cabinet of Ministers, in effect creating a parallel government to what was operational in the country at the time, a series of events referred to by the BBC as "somewhere in between House of Cards, Game of Thrones and Shakespeare's darkest Roman plays".

[189] On the morning of 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings took place targeting three Christian churches and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital Colombo killing 253 and wounding over 500 people.

[193] Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka stated in parliament on 8 May that President Sirisena had been informed 15 times at the National Security Council about warnings of a terrorist attack, yet no instructions were given.

[202] In his speech, Sirisena addressed the recent Easter Bombing inquiry findings, apologised to the Catholic community and compared himself to anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.

[218][219][220] In September 2015 Sirisena's son Daham accompanied his father as he visited New York City for the Seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

[221][222] Despite having no official role, Daham Sirisena sat with the Sri Lankan delegation in the United Nations General Assembly and accompanied his father as he met world leaders such as Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga.

Mahanama, the chief of staff of the president, in his previous role as secretary to the Ministry of Lands, had secured Cabinet approval to auction scrap material of the factory, assets which were claimed by M G Sugars Lanka (Pvt) Ltd under the agreement.

This comment was made after Sri Lankan CID arrested an Indian national late in September for allegedly planning the assassinations of both Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

[248] A strongly worded statement was written and signed by numerous members of the Sri Lankan LGBT+ community within hours of Sirisena's remark being made, and was widely shared online.

In it they said: "By trivialising homophobia in this fashion, President Sirisena should be held responsible for any homophobic incidents that Sri Lankan citizens may experience in the coming days".

[249] A citizen's protest – which had been happening consistently in the heart of Colombo city every evening since the President's declaration that he had appointed Rajapaksa as the country's prime minister – paid special attention to Sirisena's 'Butterfly' remark the next day, making a butterfly out of lit lamps.

"[251] In May 2019 it was reported that Sirisena was attempting to delay the 2019 Sri Lankan Presidential Election to 20 June 2020 and was seeking an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court (SC) in terms of Article 129 of the constitution.

[252][253] In August 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Major General Shavendra Silva as the new Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, despite the latter being accused of practicing human rights abuses during the country's civil war.

[254] In November 2019, President Sirisena issued a presidential pardon to Shramantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha who was serving a life sentence after being convicted of murdering a young woman at the Royal Park apartment complex in Rajagiriya on 30 June 2005 in a high-profile case.

The President's Media Division claim the pardon was issued citing the convict's age (he was 19 when the murder took place), his good behaviour, and advocacy from several religious groups led by a member of parliament, Athuraliye Rathana Thero.

[256] Earlier that year President Sirisena had issued a presidential pardon for Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, general secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, who had been convicted of being in contempt of court.

[259] Sirisena commented in October 2015, after a series of high-profile incidents of rape, killing and sexual abuse, that he supports a dialogue on the introduction of the death penalty should it be approved by Parliament.

Recently elected Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met with Sirisena in New Delhi and stated that: "India is Sri Lanka's closest neighbor and friend.

Priyantha was immediately transferred to the hospital in critical condition, where he died from severe head injuries; Sirisena was in China on a state visit at the time.