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Sri Lanka: Junius Richard Jayewardene, the former president of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Junius Richard Jayewardene, the former president of Sri Lanka.

Junius Richard Jayewardene (September 17, 1906 – November 1, 1996), famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. Before taking over the newly created executive presidency, he served as the Prime minister of Sri Lanka between 1977 and 1978.