Lanka government to seek parliament's nod for larger cabinet

The Sri Lankan government is to seek parliamentary approval on Thursday to appoint more members to its cabinet than those approved under constitution, a highly placed official said here on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's constitution approves the appointment of 30 cabinet members, but the government was seeking to appoint 45, which would require parliamentary approval.

"The matter will be presented to parliament when we meet on Thursday and since it is a united government, we hope to get the number passed so that we can form a new cabinet later this week," the official told Xinhua.

The cabinet was expected to consist of 33 ministers from the ruling United National Party (UNP) and 12 ministers from the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) after both parties signed an agreement last month to work together for two years in the new parliament.

Several state ministers and deputy ministers are also expected to be sworn in after obtaining parliamentary approval.