Colombo, April 18 (FN Agency) Seventeen new Ministers were sworn in in the Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday as the nation continued to battle severe political instability and economic crisis. The new cabinet was sworn in after days of discussions with political parties as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had wanted younger parliamentarians from the ruling party to take portfolios as public protests continued calling on the government to step down.
According to the President’s Media Division, some of the new parliamentarians sworn in include Kanchana Wijesekera as Power and Energy Minister, Nalaka Godahewa as Media Minister, Channa Jayasumana as Health Minister, Pramitha Tennakoon as Ports and Shipping Minister and Prasanna Ranatunga as Public Security and Tourism Minister. Ali Sabry, who was sworn in earlier this month, will continue to be the Finance Minister. The new cabinet was appointed after the previous Ministers resigned due to political instability in the country following a severe economic crisis. Sri Lanka has been facing public protests for weeks, with protesters urging the government to step down or provide immediate relief.