Colombo, Aug 12 (TIWN) 26 new ministers were sworn into Sri Lanka's new Cabinet on Wednesday after the country recently held a Parliamentary election which saw the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa winning a landslide victory, securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The Cabinet members took oaths in the presence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in the central town of Kandy.

President Gotabaya retained the ministry of defence while his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa has been assigned three separate ministries including the key finance portfolio.

Mahinda's elder son, Namal Rajapaksa has been named the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports - a first time Cabinet position since he entered parliament in 2010.

The eldest brother of the president, Chamal Rajapaksa holds a Cabinet ministry in addition to being the state minister of internal security. His son, Shasheendra Rajapaksa has also been given a state ministry, Sri Lankan media reported.

One of the main features in the Cabinet is that while the veteran politician Dinesh Gunawardena has been re-named the foreign minister, a new state ministry of regional cooperation affiliated to the foreign ministry has been created.