Lay party member of the Buddhist party the new Environment minister

And now there are 54 ministers. The latest addition was a lay member of the Buddhist party which holds 8 seats in the parliaments. This is the first time a member of the party who is not a monk has been appointed to the parliament. A monk, Ven. Omalpe Sobhithe Thero, gave up his seat to make way for Patali Champika Ranawaka to enter the parliament. Ranawaka has been an prominent activist against the LTTE Tamil Tigers while being a member of the National Movement Against Terrorism.