Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is set to appoint a new Prime Minister and Cabinet on Monday following the resounding victory of his National People’s Power (NPP) in the recent snap general election. The NPP secured an unprecedented two-thirds majority, making history in the parliamentary polls. The party’s success was particularly significant in Jaffna, a key region with a large Tamil population, where the NPP also emerged victorious.
NPP’s senior spokesperson Tilwin Silva confirmed that the new Cabinet would consist of 25 ministers, with a possibility of it being slightly smaller, possibly 23 or 24. The Cabinet appointments will be based on a “scientific allocation” of subjects for the ministries. According to the Sri Lankan Constitution, the total number of Cabinet ministers is capped at 30, while deputy ministers can number no more than 40. Silva indicated that additional deputy ministers might be appointed to handle the responsibilities of larger ministries.
This remarkable win by the NPP follows their triumph in the presidential election earlier in September, when the government was functioning with just three ministers, including the President. With this significant parliamentary victory, the NPP has set multiple records, including securing 61.56% of the total vote, surpassing the previous best of 60.33% set by Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party in 2010.
The NPP’s electoral success is even more notable under the proportional representation system, where they became the first party to surpass 150 seats, achieving a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The party won 159 parliamentary seats and dominated 21 out of 22 districts, breaking several long-standing records previously held by Rajapaksa’s party. This victory marks a new era in Sri Lankan politics with the NPP taking a commanding position in the country’s governance.
