Following the resignation of Ali Sabry, after holding the position of Finance Minister for a day, Sri Lanka's government has now appointed a new secretary to the Finance Ministry, Mahinda Siriwardena, and new Central Bank governor, Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe.
Weerasinghe is replacing Ajith Nivard Cabraal who resigned from his post amidst growing outrage against the Rajapaksa administration. On Sunday, the entirety of Sri Lanka's cabinet bar the Prime Minister and President resigned, including then finance minister, Basil Rajapaksa.
Weerasinghe is currently the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank having served for several years and briefly having worked at the International Monetary Fund. He will assume his duties on the 8 April. His appointment comes at a low point in Sri Lanka's economic history with the country suffering from severe shortages in food, fuel and even medicine.
Siriwardena, who has served the Central Bank for 30 years and served as deputy governor, was appointed shortly after S.R. Attygalle stepped down as Secretary to the Finance Ministry and Treasury. He has served as assistant Governor and Director of Economic Research Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in the past.