Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday appointed four ministers to the new cabinet after United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the South Asian country's prime minister on Thursday.
The new appointments are Dinesh Gunawardena as the minister of public administration, G.L. Peiris as the minister of foreign affairs, Prasanna Ranatunga as the minister of urban development, and Kanchana Wijesekera as the minister of power and energy, according to the President's Media Division.
Senior political officials said that more ministers will be appointed as the president and prime minister are urging all political parties to join hands to form a national government to tackle the ongoing political and economic instability in the country.
Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down on Monday, following violent incidents reported between pro-government groups and anti-government protesters.