A letter was handed over to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa a short while ago, with the signatures of 50 UPFA MPs, urging that Dinesh Gunawardena be named as Opposition Leader.

The Speaker is expected to announce his decision on the dispute regarding the Opposition Leader position in parliament later in the day.

The dispute began after SLFP accepted ministerial portfolios on March 22. A few days after the formation of the national government, Democratic Left Front leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara announced that he and several other MPs will propose the name of Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader Dinesh Gunawardena as opposition leader. National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa later told media that 58 MPs have pledged their support for Gunawardena.

SLFP repeatedly argued that it could not see any reason why Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva cannot function in his position. However, opposition parties and some UPFA members continuously said that it was unethical for him to be Opposition Leader while the SLFP was in the government.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Rajitha Senaratne recently told media that no UPFA MP is entitled to hold the position. In his opinion, only TNA or JVP is entitled to the opposition leader post.

However, some UPFA MPs including Nanayakkara, Weerawansa and Gunawardena are sitting in opposition independently after the 2015 Presidential Election.