Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was appointed as Chief Opposition Whip of the Parliament.

Dissanayake contested the recent General Election from Colombo District and was elected to Parliament.

Following the agreement between the UNP and the SLFP to form a national government, the JVP, which holds six seats, became the second largest party officially in opposition.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan was earlier appointed as Opposition Leader. The TNA holds 16 seats in Parliament.