Dissanayake retains the main portfolios, such as finance and defence, in particular, to ensure the government’s foremost task of ruthlessly implementing the IMF austerity measures is directly in his hands.

Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) party, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, secured a majority in the parliamentary snap elections on Friday. The NPP won 107 seats with nearly 62% of the vote,

The working class will rapidly come into conflict with the JVP/NPP government, which while posturing as anti-establishment, is a right-wing communalist party committed to imposing IMF austerity.

By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the key finance minister portfolio and reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Monday as the Indian Ocean island nation targets stronger recovery from a draining financial crisis.

Dissanayake's decision to call polls nearly 10 months ahead of schedule and secure legislative backing for his agenda was vindicated when his National People's Power (NPP) won 159 seats in the 225-member assembly.