Sri Lanka’s president on Friday appointed a 16-member interim Cabinet and allotted finance and other ministries to his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, the new prime minister, AP.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected last week, also said he would call a parliamentary election as early as allowed.
The parliamentary term ends next August, and the constitution allows the president to dissolve Parliament in March and go for an election.He is now expected to secure a majority in the 225-member Parliament to run the administration.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has the majority currently, but he stepped down Thursday to make way for Rajapaksa to form his own government.
Soon after Wickremesinghe quit, Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as prime minister.
Mahinda Rajapaksa will lead the ministries of finance, economic affairs, housing, urban development, water supply and Buddhist affairs.
