New Delhi: After winning the country's general elections last week, Sri Lanka's new President, Mahinda Rajapakse swore-in his Cabinet on Tuesday.
Rajapakse appointed the Former Deputy Defence Minister and one-time Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake?a fervent Sinhalese nationalist?as the Prime Minister.
Rajapakse, the island's former PM, has previously held the Labour, Fisheries and Highways portfolios in Cabinet, but has never held the post of a Finance Minister.
The swearing-in ceremony to appoint the new cabinet was delayed until Wednesday morning after heavy rains led to flooding across the country.
Wickremenayake was also given the portfolio of minister for Disaster Relief while former President Chandrika Bandaranaike's brother was made the Minister for Tourism.
Who is he???)He had been nominated as the PM by the party, but lost the opportunity when he criticised Rajapakse's alliance with leftist JVP.
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The JVP has rejected an offer by the President to take cabinet posts but has said they would support him in Parliament.
Senior Party member DM Jayaratna, who lobbied for the post of PM was given the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications as well as Rural Development.
Rajapakse has said he will draw up a new budget based on his manifesto, which pledged subsidies on goods from milk powder to fertilizers for the rural poor and ruled out privatisation of key state assets.
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