Chief Minister race still on the way-swearing in ceremony postponed

The swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister for the eastern province scheduled to take place tomorrow before President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been postponed, the Presidential Secretariat said.

According to the government sources there is yet no consensus reached in the discussions between the Muslim Ministers and the President on who should be the Chief Minister. The Muslim Ministers have been pushing for a Muslim Chief Minister on the basis that no constituent party of the UPFA would be able to do politics in the East if a Muslim is not appointed the Chief Minister, when the majority members elected are Muslim.

While the President had been in consultation with Muslim Ministers on a ‘one to one’ basis and with no possibility of arriving at a decision, it is reported, the President has decided not to name the Chief Minister for now. Meanwhile President Mahindha Rajapakse summoned a meeting of Muslims ministers in his government for a crisis meeting to discuss the post of chief minister of the East.

However minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said the government would announce name of the Chief Minister on Friday.