Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has appointed Harini Amarasuriya as the country’s new prime minister.
This marks the third time in Sri Lanka’s history that a woman has held the position.
Harini Amarasuriya, a former university lecturer and current member of parliament, was chosen on Tuesday.
Along with her role as prime minister, she will also be responsible for overseeing justice, education, and labour. Amarasuriya is part of the left-leaning National People’s Power alliance, which has just three seats in the 225-seat parliament.
“We will have the smallest cabinet in the history of Sri Lanka,” said Namal Karunaratne, a party member, during a press briefing. He also mentioned that parliament could be dissolved “within the next 24 hours.” President Dissanayake has previously indicated that he might dissolve parliament soon after his election, stating there is “no point continuing with a parliament that is not in line with what the people want.”
Dissanayake, known for his anti-corruption and anti-poverty policies, won the recent election, which was the first since Sri Lanka’s economic collapse in 2022. His victory is seen as remarkable, especially after he only secured 3% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election.
Amarasuriya, who campaigned with Dissanayake in 2019, became an MP the following year. She has a background as a public activist, beginning in 2011 when she participated in protests calling for free education. Since then, the 54-year-old has become well-known for her advocacy on youth development, child protection, and gender equality.
Her appointment as Sri Lanka’s 16th prime minister makes her the first academic to hold the position. She follows two other women, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, both of whom were from political families. No woman has held the prime minister’s office since 2000.
