President Gotabaya Rajapaksa turns 71 today (20). In view of his birthday, the President has participated in religious observances at several places of worship.

Earlier today, visiting the sacred city of Anuradhapura, the President sought blessings at Ruwanweliseya Stupa and held an alms giving at Mirisawetiya Stupa.

Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, born to former Cabinet Minister D. A. Rajapaksa and Dandina Dissanayake Rajapaksa on 20 June 1949, was the 5th sibling in a family of nine.

While his upbringing is rooted in Weeraketiya, Gotabaya Rajapaksa obtained his education at Ananda College in Colombo. After joining the Sri Lanka Army in 1971, he earned a Master’s Degree in Defense Studies from the University of Madras and underwent advanced training in Pakistan, India and the USA. He was later awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama and Rana Sura Padakkama Medals for his gallantry and excellence in combat.

Following his retirement from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1991, Gotabaya Rajapaksa pursued Information Technology at the University of Colombo where he attained a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology.

In 2005, with the election victory of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa as the 5th Executive President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was appointed as Secretary to the Ministry of Defense. He played a crucial role in ending the three-decade long terrorist conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009, through a skillfully devised, coordinated military strategy.

Years later, in August 2019, it was announced that Gotabaya Rajapaksa will contest the Presidential Election through Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) under the leadership of former President and current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. 
On the 16th of November 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected the 7th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by a majority of 52.2%.