In 1948, D.S. Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka In 1948, a new chapter in Sri Lanka's history began with the appointment of D.S. Senanayake as the country's first Prime Minister. As the leader of the United National Party, Senanayake had been a key figure in the country's independence movement and had played a vital role in securing autonomy from British rule. Senanayake's political career began in the 1920s when he was elected to the State Council, the legislative body of British Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known). He quickly made a name for himself as a vocal advocate for independence and was a leading member of the Ceylon National Congress, a political party that campaigned for self-rule. In the 1940s, as the country's independence movement gained momentum, Senanayake became a key figure in the United National Party, which emerged as the dominant political force in Sri Lanka. In 1947, the British government granted Sri Lanka a...