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According to authorities, 17 members were sworn in, including many former Cabinet Ministers.
Two days back was the inauguration of the new cabinet. President and Prime Minister (Mahinda Rajapaksa) to remain in office. As Cabinet ministers, some new and young faces were appointed.
The "new Cabinet" did not include the two Rajapaksa brothers, Chamal and Basil Rajapaksa, as well as their nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, who previously held key portfolios.
They resigned on April 3rd, along with their Cabinet colleagues, in the face of mounting public opposition to the ruling clan. In addition, twenty-four new State Ministers were sworn in.
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Sri Lanka was already in a deep economic crisis when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, reducing foreign worker cash transfers and crippling the lucrative tourism sector - one of the country's main sources of revenue.
The government declared a sovereign default on its massive foreign debt last week, and the Colombo Stock Market announced that trading would be temporarily suspended for five days beginning Monday due to fears of a market collapse.
Mr. Gotabaya, for the first time admitting to "mistakes" by his administration, stated: "I believe that we should have pursued a program with the International Monetary Fund earlier."
In addition, I believe the decision not to provide farmers with chemical fertilizers was a mistake. "We have taken steps to resurrect that practice," his office said in a statement on Monday.
His policy decision to change suddenly to organic farming in May 2021 seemed to have cut the country's annual yield in half.
It sparked nationwide farmer protests last year, which were the first clear indication that the Rajapaksas' popularity was dwindling, even among supporters.
On Monday, the President told the newly appointed ministers, "The current crisis is an excellent opportunity to implement the system change that the people have demanded."
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa remain in power despite massive protests calling for their resignation.
by Prashant Rana
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