Sri Lanka’s new president picks brother as Prime Minister

COLOMBO: Newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday named his brother Mahinda as Prime Minister, cementing the grip on power of a clan credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers a decade ago. Mahinda, a two-term president himself, is due to be sworn in as premier on Thursday following the resignation of Ranil Wickremesinghe after his party suffered a humiliating defeat at the weekend´s presidential polls.

The Rajapaksa brothers are credited with brutally destroying the Tamil Tigers to end Sri Lanka´s decades-long civil war, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes and multiple human rights abuses.

A spokesman for the new administration said Rajapaksa, 74, will be sworn in by his younger brother Gotabaya, aged 70. Two other brothers, Basil and Chamal, are also active in politics. “Prime Minister Rajapaksa will have his cabinet appointed shortly after taking his oath of office,” said spokesman Vijayananda Herath.

Sri Lankan govt to dissolve after vote debacle: Sri Lanka´s prime minister will announce his resignation to the nation later Wednesday, bringing his government to an end following his party´s presidential election debacle, officials told AFP. Ranil Wickremesinghe´s move will clear the way for new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, elected on Saturday in a landslide, to appoint a replacement of his choice and a new government. “The prime minister will have a final meeting with his cabinet as well as other leaders of his coalition before addressing the nation to announce his resignation,” the official said on condition of anonymity. Wickremesinghe´s party put forward Sajith Premadasa in the presidential election but was soundly beaten by Rajapaksa in a highly divisive election in the island nation of 21.6 million.