TNA leader R. Sampanthan will remain the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker announced on Friday, reports Colombo Page.
The announcement comes following a consultation with the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), currently officially a constituent of the Sri Lankan government, on whether it wanted to take up the Opposition post.
Eight UPFA MPs who identify as part of the self-styled ‘Joint Opposition’, a collective of Pro-Rajapaksa parliamentarians, had written to the Speaker requesting the Leader of the Opposition post be given to UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardene, claiming he had the support of 70 UPFA MPs.
R. Sampanthan was given the post of Opposition Leader in September 2015 as the leader of the non-governing party with the most members in Parliament.
Efforts by Sinhala party members have been ongoing since 2015 to replace him as Opposition Leader, with criticism including that he was too focused on the issues of the North-East.
However following the decision by the UPFA, the Speaker said, “as such, I hereby declare that my final decision is as the Speaker of this august assembly, I cannot constitutionally or traditionally make a change in the post of Opposition Leader of Parliament.”