Dissanayake Unveils 21-Member Cabinet Amid Campaign Promise of New Constitution and Sweeping Reforms

Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a 21-member cabinet, retaining key portfolios while planning sweeping reforms, including a campaign promise of a new constitution. The move comes as the country recovers from its worst economic crisis.

In a significant win for the left-leaning National People's Power (NPP) coalition, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya was reappointed after sweeping the snap parliamentary elections last week. The NPP won a landslide majority in the 225-member house, securing 159 seats – a comfortable two-thirds majority.

Dissanayake, who plans to amend the constitution and hold a referendum on a new one, has emphasized the importance of exercising this power with responsibility. The president's cabinet appointments include veteran legislator Vijitha Herath as foreign minister, Ananda Wijepala as public security and parliamentary affairs minister, and Bimal Rathnayake as transport, highways, ports and civil aviation minister.

With a two-thirds majority, Dissanayake can now amend the constitution without needing to rely on any allies or coalition partners. This is the first time since 1977 that a single party has won a clear majority in Parliament.

The new government will prepare a budget for 2025 as part of its economic reform programme secured by the previous government through an IMF bailout. An IMF delegation is currently on a weeklong trip to Sri Lanka to hold talks with the new government and conduct a third review of the country's economic reform programme, worth $2.9 billion.

Sri Lanka has been struggling to recover from its worst economic crisis, triggered by a severe shortage of foreign currency that pushed it into a sovereign default and caused its economy to shrink by 7.3 percent in 2022 and 2.3 percent last year. The country is under a financial programme with the IMF following the default.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet took place at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, which was telecast live.