Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president has sworn in a 21-member Cabinet after his party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in last week's election.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday appointed a 21-member Cabinet in the new NPP government, keeping with his pre-election promise to streamline the governance system and ease the burden on taxpayers.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on November 24, 1968, in Thambuththegama, Sri Lanka, into a working-class family. His father was a labourer, and his mother a housewife. Mr Dissanayake was involved in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party during his school years and was the first student from the college chosen for admission into the university.