Sri Lanka's new prime minister D. M. Jayaratne was sworn in Wednesday, officials said, ahead of the opening of parliament. Jayaratne, 78, took his oath of office before his close ally President Mahinda Rajapakse at the presidential residence in Colombo, a spokesman for the president said. 'The prime minister was sworn in at an astrologically auspicious time this evening,' the official said. Jayaratne is a party stalwart who became a member of parliament in 1970 after a career as a post master in the central district of Kandy. As a senior member of the left-leaning Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent in the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Jayaratne was a leading candidate for the number-two role. The president is the head of state as well as head of government. The UPFA won 144 seats in the 225-member assembly at the April 8 elections, giving it a majority just short of a two-thirds needed to rewrite the constitution, which currently prevents Rajapakse running for re-election in 2016. The job of prime minister is largely ceremonial in Sri Lanka but in the event of the president's death the holder would be expected to step into the top role. The new parliament opens on Thursday. 