Former President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of the country short while ago after the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) decided to quit the coalition Government.
The decision was taken at a special meeting held by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentary group today and they had informed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in writing towards this end.
The former President took oaths as the new Prime Minister at a swift ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat before President Maithripala Sirisena and a host of others from across the political divide.
The developments comes following festering disputes between the partners in the coalition government and it took the country by surprise.