The founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa, whose name was gazetted as a National List parliamentarian of the ruling party, is expected to take oaths as a Cabinet Minister today (July 08).
According to reports, he will be sworn in as the new Minister of Finance and Economic Development and subsequently assume duties at the Finance Ministry this morning.
However, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa currently serves as the finance minister of Sri Lanka.
In the meantime, Basil Rajapaksa is also expected to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament today.
The SLPP proposed the name of Basil Rajapaksa to the Election Commission to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by Jayantha Ketagoda.
Making way for the ruling party’s founder, Ketagoda stepped down from his position as a National List MP and handed in his resignation to the Secretary-General of the Parliament on Tuesday.
The Secretary-General had later informed the Election Commission that a vacancy has emerged in the membership of parliament following the resignation of Ketagoda.
Thereby, the election body on Wednesday (July 07) published a Gazette Extraordinary declaring Basil Rajapaksa as a Member of Parliament.
