Former President Maithripala Sirisena called for an all-party meeting to address the current issues faced by the country.

Sirisena said he was making this request to the President as the leader of the second-largest constituent party in the current government.

The SLFP, led by Sirisena, has 14 MPs in Parliament. The party has been critical in the recent past about the state of affairs within the Gotabhaya Rajapaksa administration.

Sirisena, also a former Health Minister, said it was important to seek the views of all political parties in the House about managing the current wave of the pandemic.

The request came a day after President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa appointed Keheliya Rambukwella as the new Minister of Health replacing Pavithra Wanniarachchi.