Committee to appoint heads for all govt institutions: President

Sep 04, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena said that all government institutional heads will be appointed through a common committee. ‘We will have a common committee that will include the Prime Minister and me to make all the appointments in government institutions,” President Sirisena said. “There will be criteria for these appointments and the persons with the right qualifications for the job will only be appointed,” “The relevant Ministries can make the recommendations but it will have to go through the common committee.” The President also called on all the newly appointed Ministers to deliver the promise of "Yahapalana". "You now have the responsibility of delivering the promise that we made to the people of this country on the 8th of January," "As politicians you must refrain from all corrupt activities." President Sirisena appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as minister of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs in a national unity administration with the two main parties. The United National Party will get 33 portfolios of which 7 has gone to coalition parties, the President said. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is getting 15 ministers and 18 deputies, he said.