Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

MORE MINISTERS TO BE SWORN IN TODAY

● Discussion­s underway with individual MPS on portfolios to be assigned ● Four ministers have already been sworn in ● Ten slots reserved for MPS of the SLPP and its independen­t group

- BY KELUM BANDARA

Afew more Cabinet ministers of the new government are slated to be sworn in this evening , Daily Mirror learns . President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is planning for the appointmen­t of 18 ministers in addition to himself and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesi­nghe who will retain some portfolios. Besides ,there will be 30 state ministers .

Four ministers have already been sworn in . According to inside sources , ten slots will be reserved for MPS of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its independen­t group and the rest to MPS from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Discussion­s are underway with the individual MPS of these parties on the portfolios to be assigned to them .

The portfolios such as judiciary and agricultur­e will be assigned to the MPS elected on the SLPP ticket . The prime minister will also function as the finance minister in the new government. A top source said the government will have a comfortabl­e majority with the SLFP joining in.

Also , the government has decided to appoint a female MP as the deputy speaker of Parliament. It will be either the SLFP’S Sudarshani Fernandopu­lle or SJB’S Rohini Kaviratne.

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