Mahinda Rajapaksha swears in as new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Mahinda Rajapaksa, brother of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has sworn in as the new Prime Minister of the island country.

This is the first time in the history of the country that two brothers are in the positions of President and Prime Minister.

Gotabhaya on Wednesday had named Mahinda as the new PM after incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation from the post following the election debacle. The latter formally stepped down earlier in the day.

Mahinda has served as the President from 2005-2015. He is credited with a military victory that ended a 26-year long separatist civil war with ethnic Tamil rebels during his presidency.

According to reports, the President has decided to appoint a 15-member caretaker cabinet until the General Elections are held in March 2020 after the dissolution of the current parliament as per constitutional provisions.