The government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to advance Sri Lanka’s economic recovery within the context of the mandate. Senior Mission Chief Peter Breuer and the IMF delegation met with President Dissanayake and key ministers of the newly-formed government at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday (18), to discuss the next steps in the IMF program.

The IMF team congratulated the President and his government on their decisive electoral victory, expressing optimism about the collaboration. President Dissanayake, in turn, underscored his administration’s responsibility to uphold the people’s mandate, emphasizing that the success of the IMF program hinges on rebuilding public trust in governance.

Highlighting his government’s commitment to addressing the pressing needs of the people, President Dissanayake urged the IMF to maintain a balanced approach that considers the hardships faced by citizens. He assured that under his leadership, social spending allocations would be utilized effectively, with priority given to combating child poverty and malnutrition and providing better support for differently abled individuals.

The IMF delegation noted that allocations for social spending had not been fully utilized previously, prompting President Dissanayake to pledge proactive measures to ensure efficient allocation and utilization of resources.

Governance and anti-corruption were also central to the discussions. The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to the fight against corruption, a key component of the mandate granted by the people. He assured the IMF team that his government would implement stringent laws to enhance the legislative and institutional structures to uphold transparency and accountability.

The meeting marked a positive step forward in the collaboration between the government and the IMF, laying the groundwork for a coordinated effort toward economic recovery and long-term stability.

The President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando and MP Harshana Sooriyapperuma together with representatives of the Ministry of Finance participated in this meeting.

USS Spruance of the United States Navy arrived at the port of Colombo on a replenishment visit today (18th November 2024).

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

The 160m – long Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer is manned by a crew of 334 and she is commanded by Commander Thomas Adams.

On completion of replenishment needs, USS Spruance is set to depart the island on 19th November

… alleges constituents of alliance undermined

Row over National List positions:

UNP Leader and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken exception to the sumbission of Ravi Karunanayake’s name to the Election Commission (EC) as one of the two National List (NL) MPs of the New Democratic Front (NDF). He has said the NDF General Secretary submitted Karunanayake’s name without the concurrence of the constitutes of the alliance.

Wickremesinghe said so at a meeting of NDF representatives in Colombo. He said the leaders of the NDF constituents were to meet on 19 Nov., to make a final decision on the two NL positions allocated to the NDF. He alleged that NDF General Secretary had acted unilaterally.

The NDF contested last week’s general election under the ‘Gas Cylinder’ symbol.

General Secretary of the NDF Shermila Perera yesterday conveyed to the EC the name of Karunanayake, adding that the name of the other NL MP would be notified later.

The NDF managed to secure a total of five seats in Parliament, including two NL slots by obtaining 500,835 votes.

In the meantime, Anuradha Jayaratne, who obtained 20,749 preferential votes in the Kandy District, former MP Rohitha Abeygunawardhana, who secured 10,204 preferential votes in the Kalutara District, and Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who received 19,359 preferential votes in the Badulla District, are the only NDF parliamentary candidates who have secured seats in the 10th Parliament.