Sri Lankan President keeps finance minister portfolio

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the key finance minister portfolio and reappointed Ms Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Nov 18 as the Indian Ocean island nation targets stronger recovery from a draining financial crisis.

Mr Dissanayake, whose leftist coalition won 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament in the Nov 14 general election, also reappointed veteran legislator Vijitha Herath to helm the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Mr Dissanayake, who has held the key finance minister portfolio since he was elected in September, will continue in that role, two party sources told Reuters, as Sri Lanka looks to chart a stronger recovery out of its worst financial crisis since independence from the British in 1948.

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in Colombo for a third review of its US$2.9 billion (S$3.9 billion) programme that is expected to release a tranche of about US$337 million.