Chamal Rajapaksa, former Ports and Aviation Minister and elder brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been elected as Speaker at the inaugural session of the 14th parliament on Thursday. Priyankara Jayaratne was elected as Deputy Speaker. He held this post in the previous parliament as well. The new 225 member Parliament was sworn in this morning. The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with 144 members is short of mere six members for a two-thirds majority in the House. The alliance led by the main opposition UNP has 60 seats, ITAK 14 and the DNA of General Sarath Fonseka 7 seats. Meanwhile, according to reports the former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, currently under military detention and facing court martial on a number of charges, attended the inaugural session of the seventh Parliament. Fonseka was elected to the Parliament in the April 8 general election. On Wednesday Mr. Rajapaksa appointed Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (79), a founder member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), as the new Prime Minister of the island nation. The new Council of Ministers is expected to be announced on Friday.