President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (04) appointed four Ministers to maintain the affairs of the Parliament and other functions of the country legitimately and stably until a full Cabinet is appointed.

Accordingly, Prof. G.L. Peiris has been sworn in as the Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry has been sworn in as the Finance Minister, Johnston Fernando as the Minister of Highways and Dinesh Gunawardena as the Education Minister.

These Ministers were appointed as there is a need to appoint a Leader of the House and a Chief Government Whip for the functioning of the Parliament and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, the PMD said in a statement.

The President has already requested all political parties in Parliament to extend their contribution to finding solutions for the current national challenge in the country. A permanent Cabinet will be appointed following the discussions with them, the statement said.

The President also sought the support of all the people to overcome the economic challenge faced by the country and stabilize the country, it said.

The Ministers who were sworn in before the President at the President’s House in Fort are;

01. Education - Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena (Leader of the House)

02. Foreign Affairs - Prof. G.L. Peiris

03. Highways - Mr. Johnston Fernando (Chief Government Whip)

04. Finance - Mr. Ali Sabry