The cabinet ministerial portfolios vacated by the resignation of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ministers of the unity government who voted for the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Rani Wickremesinghe, will still be assigned to the party, a government source said.
During the anticipated cabinet reshuffle the portfolios vacated by six SLFP cabinet ministers will be assigned to another group of SLFP ministers, the source said.
Cabinet Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, WDJ Seneviratne, Chandima Weerakkody, and SB Dissanayake handed over their resignation letters to President Maithripala Sirisena today.
President Maithripala Sirisena has announced that a cabinet reshuffle will be held soon and the SLFP MPs will be presented with the vacant ministerial portfolios.
It is reported that Angajan Ramanathan and Cader Mastan who were not given any state or a deputy ministerial portfolio will be able to secure posts of state or deputy minister.
Meanwhile, 26 SLFP ministers and MPs who abstained from voting for the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will remain and work with the government and the group has held discussions with the President this evening.
The SLFP ministers who abstained from voting for the no-confidence motion against Premier will not leave the unity government with the United National Party (UNP) even if the 16 ministers who voted in favor of the motion leave the government, UPFA General Secretary Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.
