Dr. Harini Amarasuriya sworn in as 16th Prime Minister

• Marks return of female Prime Minister after 24 years, becoming third woman to hold office
• President appoints three-member Cabinet
• Dr. Amarasuriya gets multiple subjects including health, justice, labour, education, trade, industry among others
• Vijitha Herath appointed as Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, Media, Rural and Urban Development, Housing and Construction among others
• President AKD to oversee Defence, Finance, Economic Development, Tourism, Agriculture, Energy and few others

In a historic move, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday appointed Dr.HariniAmarasuriya as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, making her the first academic-turned-politician to hold office.

This appointment also marks the return of a female Prime Minister to the country after 24 long-years, with Dr.Amarasuriya becoming the third woman to hold this position, after Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

Her appointment as the Prime Minister signals a shift in Sri Lanka’s political culture, as a significant step towards inclusivity, emphasising the importance of qualified politicians at the helm and advancing gender parity for progressive governance in Sri Lanka.

Dr.Amarasuriya, a Member of Parliament representing the National People’s Power (NPP), is a distinguished academic, rights activist and university lecturer. 

Prior to entering politics, Dr.Amarasuriya was a senior lecturer at the Department of Social Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka and served as a National List Member of Parliament for the NPP since 2020.Politically she aligns with the centre-left faction of the NPP and identifies as Liberal.

Meanwhile, President appointed a three-member Cabinet with him retaining few key portfolios.

Dr.Amarasuriya was also sworn-in as the Minister in charge of Justice, Public Administration, Provincial Councils, Local Government and Labour; Education, Science and Technology; Women, Child and Youth Affairs and Sports ; Trade, Commercial, Food Security, Co-operative Development, Industries and Entrepreneur Development and Health.

MP Vijitha Herath was appointed as the Minister in charge of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, National Integration, Social Security and Mass Media; Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation; Public Security; Foreign Affairs; Environment, Wildlife, Forest Resources, Water Supply, Plantation and Community, Infrastructureand Rural and Urban development, Housing and Construction.

Ministries/subjects under President Dissanayake will be Defence, Finance, Economic Development, Policy Formulation, Planningand Tourism, Energy, Agriculture, Land, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

MP Lakshman Nipunaarachchi, Former MPs Sunil Handunnetti, Bimal Ratnayake, Dr.Nalinda Jayatissa, Wasantha Samarasinghe, Secretary to the President Dr.Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Defence Secretary H.S. Sampath Thuyacontha were also present at the event.