Speaker Informs Parliament He Cannot Change Opposition Leader: Sampanthan Will Continue To Function In Post

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed Parliament this morning that there was no constitutional provision allowing him to make a change to the post of Opposition Leader. 

Therefore, Speaker Jayasuriya conveyed to the House that TNA Leader R. Sampanthan would continue to function as the Opposition Leader. 

The UPFA too informed the Speaker earlier this week that it would not nominate any member for the Opposition Leader's post. 

The Speaker also consulted party leaders of the House before making the announcement today. 

The issue came up when a group of MPs representing the Joint Opposition requested Speaker Jayasuriya to appoint Dinesh Gunawardena as the Opposition Leader in Parliament.