President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga met with President Anura Kumara Disanayake this afternoon (07) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

This visit marks a milestone, as it is the first time in nearly two decades that a World Bank Group President has visited Sri Lanka.
During the meeting, discussions centred on strengthening collaboration to support Sri Lanka’s future development agenda. Priority areas identified included digitalisation, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure development, with particular emphasis on identifying short-term rewards, including advancing development in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

The Sri Lankan government’s efforts to establish a robust legal framework conducive to attracting new investments and recent policy initiatives were also discussed during the meeting.

Attendees at the meeting included Trevor Kincaid, Special Advisor – World Bank Group, David Sislen, Country Division Director – Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka – World Bank Group, Imad Fakhoury, Regional Director – South Asia International Finance Corporation and Gevorg Sargsyan, Country Manager – Maldives & Sri Lanka¸ World Bank Group.

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Harshana Suriyapperuma and Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu, along with several other dignitaries, also attended the occasion.

(President’s Media Division)

The National People’s Power (NPP) says they will not join hands with opposition parties “rejected by the public” to form administrations in LG bodies it has won but has failed to secure an outright majority.

However, the NPP would consider joining forces with candidates who were elected to the councils contesting independently, said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvyn Silva, at a media briefing in Colombo today (May 07).

Silva said that only the party that has the largest number of members at a local authority has the power and the moral right to form its administration. 

“After the election, if small parties who contested separately try to combine their results and claim a majority, we believe that is neither realistic nor fair… Adding together the percentages won by each opposition party does not mean it is the people’s mandate. The people’s mandate is reflected in the number of votes given to a single party,” he stated.

The National People’s Power (NPP) has emerged as the dominant force at the 2025 Local Government (LG) polls, securing over 3,900 seats and majorities in more than 150 local bodies.

However, when compared to the General Election and Presidential Election last year, the NPP had suffered some setbacks while regional political parties in North and East had made a strong comeback.

The NPP also failed to win control of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), despite winning the highest vote share (36.92%) and securing 48 of 117 seats.

The Court of Appeal issued an order dismissing without examination the writ petition that had been filed requesting a directive to disqualify Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala from holding a parliamentary seat and to nullify his position as a Member of Parliament.

This order was delivered by the bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohammed Laffar Thahir, and Justice Sarath Dissanayake.

This petition was filed by Renuka Perera, the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

The respondents named in the petition were Minister Ananda Wijepala, the Secretary General of Parliament, and the Attorney General.

The petition stated that Ananda Wijepala was appointed as the Minister of Public Security by the President on November 18. 

It also cited a report published in the Sunday Times on December 10, which claimed that Wijepala had been appointed as the Chief of Staff to the President.

The petitioner argued that, under Article 91 of the Constitution, individuals holding positions in the public service are disqualified from being elected to or sitting in Parliament. 

He further contended that the position of Chief of Staff to the President constitutes a public service role, and therefore, Ananda Wijepala was not eligible to hold a parliamentary seat under such circumstances.

(News1st)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)