Sri Lankan president appoints new cabinet

Sri Lanka's new president Maithripala Sirisena says he will call parliamentary elections in three months.

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Sri Lanka's new president, Maithripala Sirisena.

Sri Lanka's new president has appointed his cabinet and announced he will call parliamentary elections in three months.

President Maithripala Sirisena named the 26-member Cabinet on Monday and said its task will be to implement his campaign pledges over the next 100 days before the parliamentary polls are held.

He warned the ministers of stern action if they are involved in corruption.

Sirisena won a surprise victory over longtime leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in last week's presidential election. He promised during the campaign to overhaul the constitution to transfer many of the president's extensive powers to the Parliament, judiciary and independent commissions. He also vowed cut taxes on food and fuel to bring their prices down.

Rajapaksa was highly criticised for having earlier changed the constitution to scrap a two-term presidential limit and expand his executive powers.

Until a few weeks ago, Rajapaksa was widely expected to easily win his third term in office.

But Sirisena - his former friend and health minister - defected from the ruling party in November, and gathered the support of other defecting MPs, opposition parties and many of Sri Lanka's ethnic minorities, making the election a fierce political battle.


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Source: AAP


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