Ascending to the premiership of Ceylon, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first woman to ever hold the position of Prime Minister. The second General Election of 1960had given the Sri Lanka Freedom Party a comfortable victory with which to govern the country. At 4.30pm Mrs Bandaranaike took the oath of office as Prime Minister of Ceylon before Governor General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke at the swearing-in ceremony at his house. Promising to carry on with the reform agenda of her late husband and implement the socialist policies that he had fought for, Mrs Bandaranaike, who was to serve as the Minister of Defence and External Affairs, was stepping into territory that many were vary about, but she, given her upbringing, close following of her husband’s political career and her own involvement in social service endeavours, proved her ability in her own right as the unfolding decades would testify.