A special meeting of Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPs and President Maithripala Sirisena will be held at 2.00pm Sunday (22) at the Presidential Secretariat ahead of the formation of a national government.

The UNP-SLFP national government is rumored to be formed later on Sunday or on Monday (23).

According to political sources, SLFP will accept 9 ministerial portfolios in the national government with UNP.

SLFP Central Committee earlier gave mandate to President Sirisena and several other leaders to decide on the formation of a national government with the UNP. Former Minister and UPFA MP Kumara Welgama was the only prominent voice of dissent at that meeting.

The Sunday Times Political Column stated that “one of the immediate outcomes of this latest move by Sirisena is the fast tracking of investigations into cases of corruption, bribery and other malpractices.”

The new UNP-SLFP national government will go for parliamentary elections, now expected in June, whilst serving in a caretaker Government.