In a significant political development, nearly all members of the previous cabinet, barring Mr. Jeevan Thondaman, faced defeat in the recently concluded parliamentary general election.
The former cabinet comprised 22 members, with prominent figures such as Kanchana Wijesekera, Dr. Susil Prema Jayantha, Harin Fernando, Mahinda Amaraweera, Douglas Devananda, Manusha Nanayakkara, Ramesh Pathirana, Vidura Wickramanayake, Nalin Fernando, Nimal Siripala de Silva, and Pavithra Wanni Arachchi losing their seats.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was part of the previous cabinet, did not contest the election, while Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena secured a position through the national list of the New Democratic Front.
Notably, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga also abstained from contesting and was excluded from his party’s national list. Similarly, Keheliya Rambukwella, Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, and Tiran Alles, who served as cabinet ministers, opted out of the election as well.
Among the state ministers in the former cabinet, only Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, DV Chanaka, Anuradha Jayaratne, and Kader Mastan emerged victorious in the election.
