President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday effected a mini, yet decisive reshuffle of the Cabinet of Ministers, reinforcing his authority in the Coalition Government despite reservations from UNP leader and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Contrary to expectations of a wide-scale change, what the country saw yesterday was a revision of the status quo of nine Ministers, most notably the swap of portfolios between the Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs.
The controversial yet hands-on Ravi Karunanayake was removed from his Finance portfolio and given the Foreign Minister title while his predecessor Mangala Samaraweera, widely perceived as being “Mr. Clean†and “apoliticalâ€, was handed the mantle of managing the country’s finances along with the media.
Â
The reshuffle comes as Sirisena faces mounting criticism from the international community over the slow pace of promised reforms and delays in addressing Sri Lanka’s wartime past through a mediated reconciliation process.
Expressing confidence in his appointments through a message on Twitter, President Sirisena said: “This Cabinet reshuffle will provide a new impetus to Sri Lanka’s development.â€
Â
Â
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the world’s highest single-arch railway bridge in Indian-administered…
A special relief flight, UL 302, has departed from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to Medan…
SriLankan Airlines flight UL 306, which departed from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake for…
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (June 6) filed an…
The sugar importers have urged President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to increase…
Discriminatory treatment of locals by tourist service providers has become an increasingly widespread concern across…