Colombo: Sri Lanka’s new leftist president appointed his cupboard Tuesday forward of an anticipated snap parliamentary election as he prepares to renegotiate the bankrupt island nation’s unpopular International Monetary Fund bailout programme.

Self-avowed Marxist Dissanayake of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) was sworn into workplace on Monday after a landslide win in weekend presidential polls.

His once-marginal celebration at the moment has simply three lawmakers in Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament.

But help for the 55-year-old surged after a 2022 financial meltdown that immiserated tens of millions of abnormal Sri Lankans and the painful implementation of the IMF rescue plan.

On Tuesday his workplace introduced the appointment of lawmaker Harini Amarasuriya, 54, as premier with the extra portfolios of justice, schooling, well being and labour.

The sociology lecturer, who was first elected to parliament 4 years in the past, is understood for her activism on gender equality and minority rights points.

She and the remaining two JVP-aligned lawmakers will share all ministerial obligations between them, and in addition act as caretaker ministers after parliament is dissolved.

“We will have the smallest cabinet in the history of Sri Lanka,” celebration member Namal Karunaratne informed reporters on Tuesday.

“Parliament dissolution will happen thereafter. It could be within the next 24 hours.”

Sri Lanka’s disaster proved a possibility for Dissanayake, who noticed his recognition rise after pledging to vary the island’s “corrupt” political tradition.

He beat 38 different candidates to win Saturday’s presidential vote, taking greater than 1.2 million extra votes than his nearest rival.

His predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had imposed steep tax hikes and different unpopular austerity measures underneath the phrases of the $2.9 billion IMF bailout, got here a distant third.

The IMF supplied its congratulations to Dissanayake on Monday, saying it was prepared to debate the way forward for the rescue plan.

“We look forward to working together with President Dissanayake… towards building on the hard-won gains that have helped put Sri Lanka on a path to economic recovery,” a spokesman from the lender of final resort stated.

‘Not a magician’

A senior aide of the brand new president informed AFP on the weekend that Dissayanake’s celebration wouldn’t repudiate the IMF deal.

“Our plan is to engage with the IMF and introduce certain amendments,” Bimal Ratnayake stated.

“We will not tear up the IMF programme. It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate.”

In his first handle after his inauguration, Dissayanake sought to decrease expectations of a fast repair for the nation’s financial woes.

“I am not a conjuror, I am not a magician, I am a common citizen,” he stated.

“I have strengths and limitations, things I know and things I don’t,” he added. “My responsibility is to be part of a collective effort to end this crisis.”