Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the key finance minister portfolio and reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Monday as the Indian Ocean island nation targets stronger recovery from a draining financial crisis.

Sri Lanka’s new left-leaning president swore in on Monday a 22-member Cabinet after his party coalition secured a landslide victory in a snap parliamentary vote last week.

Dissanayake picks a 21-member cabinet as he plans sweeping reforms, including a campaign promise of a new constitution.

Party of Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning president is leading in parliamentary elections, results show. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's sweeping coalition election win this week underlined widening support for his leftist policies, but he faces the test of steering the nation's recovery from a financial crisis with an inexperienced set of lawmakers.

Voting begins in Sri Lanka's parliamentary election that is key for its new, Marxist-leaning president.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya waves to her party National People's Power (NPP) supporters during a rally on the last day of campaigning for the 17th Parliamentary Election in Piliyandala suburb in Colombo,

Dissanayake's decision to call polls nearly 10 months ahead of schedule and secure legislative backing for his agenda was vindicated when his National People's Power (NPP) won 159 seats in the 225-member assembly.