[By Janaka Alahapperuma]
Prasanna Ranatunga and Shan Wijayalal de Silva were sworn in this morning (04 April) as Chief Ministers of the Western and the Southern Provincial Councils respectively before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat. The other ministers and the MPs of the governing United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) also took oaths in front of the president at the same ceremony.
Former Western Province Chief Minister and UPFA candidate, Prasanna Ranatunga received the highest preference votes in the Gampaha District with a total of 249,678 votes while former Chief Minister of Southern Province Shan Wijayalal De Silva received the highest number of preference votes in the Galle District, receiving 95,860 votes.
Chief Minister of the Western Province was sworn in as the Minister of Finance and Planning, Law and Peace, Land and Education too. Meanwhile Udaya Gammanpila, Nimal Lansa, Ranjith Somawansa and Upali Kodikara took oaths as Provincial Ministers of the Western Province. Udaya Gammanpila was sworn in as the Minister of Agriculture, Agrarian Development, Minor Irrigation, Industrial, Environmental Affairs and Culture. Ranjith Somawansa is the Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Child Probation and Protection. Upalie Kodikara was sworn in as the Power and Energy, Provincial Roads, Water Supply, and Social Welfare. Nimal Lansa took oaths as the Minister of Transport, Sports and Youth Affairs, Women’s Affairs, Food Supply and Distribution, Tourism and Investment Promotion.
Meanwhile Chandima Rasaputhra, U.D. Ariyathilaka and D.V. Upul were also appointed as Ministers of the Southern Provincial Council.
Pix By : Sudath Silva
