North Western Provincial Chairman Dharmasiri Dassanayake and Western Provincial Councillor Isuru Dewapriya were appointed on Tuesday Chief Ministers of the two provinces respectively.
Their appointment was made at a function at the official residence of President Maithripala Sirisena here. In the two provinces, the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), led by he Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), is in power.
The day's development follows the election of Dayasiri Jayasekara and Prasanna Ranatunga to Parliament during the recent general elections. Mr. Jayasekara has become Sports Minister in the Cabinet of the Central government.
The post of Chief Minister for the Uva province is also lying vacant in view of Harin Fernando getting elected as Member of Parliament and becoming Telecommunication Minister in the Cabinet. Mr Fernando, who belongs to the United National Party (UNP), became the Chief Minister after a section of the UPFA councillors defecting to the UNP-led front, subsequent to Mr Sirisena's victory in the Presidential election. Mr Fernando succeeded Shasheendra Rajapaksa, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's nephew.
