United National Party

United National Party
එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය
ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி
AbbreviationUNP
LeaderRanil Wickremesinghe
ChairmanVajira Abeywardena
General SecretaryThalatha Atukorale
Deputy LeaderRuwan Wijewardene
FounderD. S. Senanayake
Founded6 September 1946 (1946-09-06)
Merger ofCeylon National Congress
Sinhala Maha Sabha
HeadquartersSirikotha, 400 Kotte Road, Pitakotte, Sri Jayawardenapura
Youth wingNational Youth Front
Professional WingYoung Professionals Organization of the United National Party
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
Economic liberalism
Political positionCentre-right
National affiliationUnited National Front
(2001–2020)
New Democratic Front
(2010, 2015, since 2024)
Regional affiliationAsia Pacific Democrat Union
International affiliationInternational Democracy Union
Colors  Green
Parliament of Sri Lanka
2 / 225
Sri Lankan Provincial Councils
0 / 417
Local Government
381 / 8,293
Election symbol
Elephant
Website
www.unp.lk

The United National Party (UNP; Sinhala: එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, romanized: Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, Tamil: ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, romanized: Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci) is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka.

Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party, or as part of its governing coalition, during the periods 1947–1956, 1965–1970, 1977–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2019, and 2022–2024. After suffering a major split in the lead-up to the 2020 parliamentary elections, the UNP suffered a major collapse, with the party only winning one national list seat and losing all its votes to the new Samagi Jana Balawegaya alliance. Currently, the UNP is a notable third party in Sri Lankan politics.

The UNP has been led by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe since 1994. The party is a member of the International Democracy Union.