- Justice to Sabry, Tourism to Dinesh
- No reshuffle before elections
- President to retain six portfolios
Two of the three recently-vacated ministerial portfolios, currently overseen by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, are likely to be reassigned to the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Prime Minister, according to a top Government official.
The official further disclosed that the Justice Ministry portfolio, left vacant after former Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe resigned to run in the upcoming Presidential Election, was expected to be assigned to Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry.
The Tourism and Land Ministry portfolio, which became vacant after former Minister Harin Fernando resigned following the loss of his parliamentary seat due to a Supreme Court ruling last week, was likely to be assigned to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the official said.
Dr. Rajapakshe resigned from his position as Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms last month to run for the presidency in the upcoming election.
Additionally, Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara resigned from their ministerial roles – Fernando as Minister of Tourism, Lands, Sports, and Youth Affairs, and Nanayakkara as Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment – following a Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling upheld the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) decision to suspend their party memberships, leading to their disqualification from Parliament. The SJB had initially suspended their memberships in May 2022 after they accepted ministerial roles in the Government despite the party’s disciplinary stance.
The remaining ministerial portfolios, including the recently-vacated Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry, will continue to be held by President Wickremesinghe.
In addition to these three newly-added portfolios, President Wickremesinghe also oversees the Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies; Ministry of Women, Child Affairs, and Social Empowerment; and Ministry of Technology and Investment Promotion.
As per the Constitution, the President can still hold any number of ministerial portfolios, despite the 19th Amendment’s attempt to limit this power.
Article 44(3) of the Constitution states that the President shall serve as the Minister in charge of Defence, and may temporarily assume the powers, duties, and functions of any minister of the Cabinet or any non-Cabinet minister for up to 14 days when a particular subject or function has not been assigned to a specific minister.
Additionally, the President is allowed to assign any subject or function to himself in consultation with the Prime Minister, making any reference in the Constitution or law to a specific minister applicable to the President.
When asked about the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle before the upcoming Presidential Election, the official confirmed that no reshuffle was expected.