Wikipedia

Mayor of Colombo

The Mayor of Colombo is the elected head of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The mayor is assisted by the deputy mayor and a Municipal Commissioner.The current mayor is Vraîe Cally Balthazaar, who took office on 16 June 2025.

Mayor of Colombo
since 16 June 2025[1][2]
Colombo Municipal Council
StyleHis/ Her Worship
ResidenceSirinivasa
SeatTown Hall, Colombo
Constituting instrumentMunicipal Council Ordinance No. 17 of 1865
Formation1866; 160 years ago (1866)
First holderRatnasothy Saravanamuttu
DeputyDeputy Mayor of Colombo

Election

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The mayor is elected in a general election held under the Local Authority Election Ordinance from the party gaining the highest number of seats in the municipal council. Once elected the mayor may hold office for four years.[3]

Powers and functions

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Most powers are derived from the Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947. The Mayor serves as the chief executive of the municipal council.[3]

The municipal council is responsible for:

Rights and privileges

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The mayoral office is located at the Colombo Town Hall and the official mayoral residence is Sirinivasa. The mayor's legal title is His/Her Worship the Mayor of Colombo.

Under the provisions of the Municipal Councils Ordinance the mayor and deputy mayor are ex-official Justice of the Peace and Unofficial Magistrates for the administrative district in which the municipality is situated for the duration of their tenure. This is provided so that the mayor or deputy mayor may preside over the municipal magistrate's court.[3]

Official dress

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On formal occasions the Mayor wears a scarlet gown with the Mayoral Chain of Office.

Salary

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The Mayor of Colombo's salary is Rs 30,000 per month, which is same of all mayors of municipalities in Sri Lanka.[4]

List of mayors

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Parties

  United National Party   Lanka Sama Samaja Party   National People's Power   Independent

Chairmen
Name Portrait Took office Left office Refs
Charles Peter LayardJanuary 1866June 1877[5]
Frederick Richard SaundersJuly 1877December 1883
William Dumaresq WrightJanuary 18846 August 1886
G. S. WilliamsAugust 1886August 1887
George Thomas Michael O'BrienSeptember 1887September 1887
Lionel Frederick LeeOctober 1887November 1887
Hardinge Hay CameronNovember 1887September 1893
Charles Edward Ducat PennycuickOctober 1893April 1895
Ferdinando Hamblyn PriceMay 1895March 1901
Arthur Sampson PagdenApril 1901February 1905
E. M. de C. ShortMarch 1905May 1910
K. W. B. McLeodMay 1910April 1912
C. R. CumberlandMay 1912November 1912
W. E. ThorpeDecember 1912January 1913
E. B. AlexanderFebruary 1913October 1913
R. W. ByrdeNovember 1913September 1919
T. ReidOctober 1919July 1924
Hubert Ernest NewnhamAugust 1924July 1931
Walter Terence StaceJuly 1931March 1932
William Lindsay MurphyMarch 1932March 1935
William Lindsay MurphyNovember 1935May 1937
Mayors
Name Portrait Party Took office Left office Refs
Ratnasothy SaravanamuttuMay 1937December 1937[6][7][8]
V. R. S. SchokmanJanuary 1938December 1939[9][10]
A. E. GoonesingheJanuary 1940December 1940[11]
Ratnasothy SaravanamuttuJanuary 1941December 1942
George R. de SilvaJanuary 1943December 1943
R. A. de MelJanuary 1944December 1944
R. S. F. de MelJanuary 1945December 1945
R. A. de MelJanuary 1946December 1946
R. S. F. de MelJanuary 1947December 1949
Kumaran RatnamJanuary 1950December 1950
S. SellamuttuJanuary 1951December 1951[12][13][14]
C. T. GreroJanuary 195211 August 1953[15]
T. Rudra21 September 195313 August 1954[16][17]
N. M. PereraLanka Sama Samaja Party13 August 195428 February 1956[18][19][20]
V. A. SugathadasaUnited National Party6 March 19561 December 1957[21][22][23]
M. H. MohamedUnited National Party12 January 196010 January 1963
V. A. SugathadasaUnited National Party10 January 196310 April 1965
Vincent PereraUnited National Party10 April 19651966[24][25]
Jabir A. CaderUnited National Party19661969[26]
Vincent PereraUnited National Party19701973
A. H. M. FowzieUnited National Party19741977[27][28][29]
B. Sirisena CoorayUnited National Party19791989[30][31][32]
M. Hussain MohamadUnited National Party19891991[33][34]
Ratnasiri RajapakseUnited National Party19911994[35][36][37]
K. GaneshalingamUnited National PartyJune 1996March 1997[38][39][40]
Karu JayasuriyaUnited National Party19971999[41][42][43]
Omar KamilUnited National Party19992002[44][45][46]
Prasanna GunawardenaUnited National Party3 June 20022006[47][48]
Uvais Mohamed ImitiyasIndependent UNP-backed2 June 20062010[49][50][51]
A. J. M. MuzammilUnited National Party17 October 201131 March 2016[52][53]
Rosy SenanayakeUnited National Party6 March 201819 March 2023[54][55]
Vraîe Cally BalthazaarNational People's Power16 June 2025[1]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Vraie Cally Balthazaar elected Colombo Mayor - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  2. ↑ "NPP's Vraie Cally Balthazaar elected new Colombo Mayor". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "Municipal Council Ordinance" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  4. ↑ "Hiru News Official Web Site - Most visited website in Sri Lanka". Hiru News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  5. ↑ "Charles Peter Layard". Genealogy.links.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon (PDF). pp. 181–182. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  7. ↑ "He gave of his best, but died a disillusioned man". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 28 May 2000. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Maniccavasagar, Chelvatamby (24 February 2012). "Colombo Municipal Council's 147th anniversary". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Our New President" (PDF). Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon. XXXV (4): 97. April 1946.
  10. ↑ "Mayoral Election in Colombo". The Straits Times. 13 February 1939. p. 16. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Jayasekera, Upali S. (1 May 2013). "Father of the Labour Movement". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon (PDF). p. 187. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  13. ↑ Maniccavasagar, Chelvatamby (5 September 2013). "Paying homage to Lord Ganesha". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
  14. ↑ Jayanetti, Lalith (4 October 2003). "Ceylon Theatres marks 75 years". The Island (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Salgado, Upali K. (19 October 2011). ""Once Upon A Time" – Colombo And Nostalgic Memories". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  16. ↑ Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon (PDF). p. 166. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  17. ↑ "Rajapakse navigates a consensus, UNP girds to fight for CMC". The Island (Sri Lanka). 7 May 2006.
  18. ↑ Abeynayake, Stanley E. (30 April 2006). "Dr. N. M. Perera: The first Leftist Mayor of Colombo". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka).
  19. ↑ Wijenayake, Walter (13 August 2009). "Dr. N. M. Perera: a politician ahead of his times". The Island (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  20. ↑ Perera, Ravi (30 June 2015). "NM at 110". Daily FT.
  21. ↑ Ganegoda, Ariyaratne (10 July 2012). "V.A.Sugathadasa Commemoration". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  22. ↑ Perera, Yohan (17 October 2011). "Mayor could do many things: Ranil". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
  23. ↑ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (15 June 2008). "Last TULF Leader standing: Sangaree at 75". The Nation (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 20 February 2014.
  24. ↑ "The man behind the specs". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 28 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  25. ↑ Ranatunga, D. C. (7 May 2011). "Engineer's 'digs' in UK for a Colombo street name". Daily FT.
  26. ↑ Weerakoon, Gamini (11 January 2009). "Lasantha: A classic case of publish and be damned". The Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "The name game". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 14 March 1999.
  28. ↑ Wedaarachchi, L. S. Ananda (18 September 2011). "Six former Mayors back Milinda Moragoda". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka).
  29. ↑ "The new Mayor of Colombo". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 12 July 2006.
  30. ↑ Ferdinando, Shamindra (2 February 2006). "Mini battle for Key to Colombo city". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  31. ↑ Fernando, Basil (25 July 2012). "On the 23rd of Black July, one man destroyed his nation". Sri Lanka Guardian.
  32. ↑ "Sirisena Cooray is back in the UNP Central Committee". Asian Tribune. 22 September 2005.
  33. ↑ Rasooldeen, M. D. (18 March 2014). "Sri Lanka nominates new ambassador to KSA". Arab News.
  34. ↑ "Free spectacles were distributed at the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre, Maligawatte to mark the former Speaker and Minister M.H. Mohamed's 93rd birthday..." Daily FT. 21 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "Ex-Colombo Mayor passes away". The Island (Sri Lanka). 15 September 2003.
  36. ↑ "News in brief". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 13 September 2003. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "'Siri Aiya' who revived the JVP". Daily FT. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  38. ↑ "Bullets after bullets hit UNP". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 16 February 1997. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  39. ↑ Satyapalan, Franklin R. (3 September 2011). "Mrs. Yamuna Ganeshalingam contests CMC on UPFA ticket". The Island (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  40. ↑ Maniccavasgar, Chelvathamy (3 January 2012). "K Ganeshalingam's 74th birth anniversary: Multi-faceted and multi-dimensional personality". Daily News (Sri Lanka).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  41. ↑ Peiris, Roshan (30 March 1997). "Going for the old world charm". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  42. ↑ "Why Karu Jayasuriya Should Lead the UNP". The Island (Sri Lanka). 16 January 2006.
  43. ↑ "Karu Jayasuriya's journey to 'political hell'". Ceylon Today. 22 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  44. ↑ "Colombo taxi drivers rebel over uniforms". BBC News. 13 August 2000.
  45. ↑ "Omar Kamil elected MICH president". The Island (Sri Lanka). 3 September 2008.
  46. ↑ "Colombo Mayor thanks citizens". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 8 December 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  47. ↑ "The Island". The Island (Sri Lanka). 4 June 2002. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  48. ↑ "UNP Colombo Central Operational Headquarters inaugurated". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 5 November 2005.
  49. ↑ "New Colombo Mayor sworn in". BBC Sinhala. 2 June 2006.
  50. ↑ Gunaratna, Harischandra (3 June 2006). "Cooray swears in new Mayor". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  51. ↑ "Put your hands together… His Worship, The Mayor". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 4 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  52. ↑ "Muzammil as Mayor of the CMC". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 17 October 2011.
  53. ↑ "Dressing up His Worship!". Daily FT. 18 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  54. ↑ "Rosy to be new mayor". The Sunday Leader. 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  55. ↑ "Rosy becomes first female Mayor of Colombo – LankaPuvath". 20 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2018.

Sources

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