Sri Lanka’s new PM, Cabinet to be appointed Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 April 2004, 17:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister of the thirteenth parliament is to be sworn in on Monday. The new cabinet of ministers is also expected to take oaths on the same day. Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is expected to invite the leader of the political party that has got highest number of seats in the Friday poll, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), to form the government, Presidential secretariat sources said.

Meanwhile, political circles close to the UPFA said that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is working for the appointment of Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar for the post of Prime Minister. However a powerful section of the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), which is the major constituent of the UPFA, is reported to be supporting the candidature of the Leader of the Opposition Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse as the Prime Minister, informed sources said.

Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Saturday held a lengthy discussion, which was lasted for about three hours with Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse to bring an amicable solution to the dispute.

However Presidential secretariat sources said a leader in the UPFA who commands the confidence of majority members of the party and the approval of Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge would be asked to form a minority government with a condition that he should prove his majority in the parliament at the first instance.

Among the newly elected parliamentarians of the UPFA about 36 are from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The JVP fielded 39 candidates and 36 of them have been elected based on obtained the preference votes, UPFA sources said Sunday.

The new parliament is scheduled to hold its ceremonial opening on April 22nd .