The swearing in of the new Cabinet of Ministers of the interim government under President Ranil Wickremesinghe took place at the Temple Trees on Friday (July 22).
The ceremony comes soon after MP Dinesh Gunawardena took oaths as the new Prime Minister on Friday morning. President Wickremesinghe has decided to continue the Government with the Cabinet ministers of his predecessor who stepped down last week. The ministers have been assigned the portfolios they were serving prior to the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
However, SLPP Parliamentarian Ali Sabry, PC, who was former Justice Minister and Finance Minister under Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration, has been given the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This ministerial portfolio was previously held by Prof. G.L. Peiris.
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The Cabinet of Ministers of the new interim government is as follows:
PM Dinesh Gunawardena – Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government
Douglas Devananda – Minister of Fisheries
Susil Premajayantha – Minister of Education
Bandula Gunawardena – Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media
Keheliya Rambukwella – Minister of Health and Water Supply
Prasanna Ranatunga – Minister of Urban Development
Ali Sabry PC – Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mahinda Amaraweera – Minister of Agriculture, Forest Resources and Wildlife
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe – Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms
Harin Fernando – Minister of Tourism and Lands
Ramesh Pathirana – Minister of Industries and Plantation Industries
Vidura Wickramanayake – Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious Affairs and Cultural Affairs
Kanchana Wijesekara – Minister of Power and Energy
Roshan Ranasinghe – Minister of Sports, Youth and Irrigation
Manusha Nanayakkara – Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment
Tiran Alles – Minister of Public Security
Nalin Fernando – Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security
Ahamed Nazeer – Minister of Environment