Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday drastically cut the size of her Cabinet to appease a Marxist party, and kept to herself the finance, defence and media portfolios.
The Cabinet was reduced from 44 to 20 in line with a survival pact her minority government signed last week with the Marxist JVP, or People's Liberation Front, officials said. Foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and his deputy Harendra Corea retained their posts.
Four dissident ministers quit the Cabinet on Thursday protesting against Kumaratunga's controversial deal with the Marxist JVP.
Industries minister G L Peiris, who had crossed sword with Kumaratunga, led the resignations ahead of Friday’s deadline set by the JVP for reducing the Cabinet from 44 to 20.
Parliamentary affairs minister S B Dissanayake, airports minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and forestry and environmental affairs minister Mahinda Wijesekara signed a joint resignation letter on Thursday.
A key condition of the JVP support to Kumaratunga's administration was the pruning of the Cabinet by Wednesday, but officials said that the leftists have agreed to the extension of the deadline till Friday.
The JVP said in a statement that the government wanted extra time to induct a new cabinet at an astrologically auspicious time on Friday.
Bureau Report