The Sri Lanka Freedom Party Central Committee is likely to discuss on the Opposition Leader position in the next parliament when it meets today, reports said.

The SLFP CC is expected to discuss the national government and the appointments to the Cabinet Ministries as well.

At the last CC meeting, elected MPs of the SLFP were given permission to sit in opposition if they do not wish to support the national government. There are various claims to the number of MPs who might sit in opposition. Those who support former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that at least 50 to 60 MPs elected under the UPFA ticket will sit in opposition.

However, SLFP Treasurer SB Dissanayake said yesterday that around 70 MPs will support the national government.

SLFP Acting General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake said that the swearing-in of the national government Cabinet of Ministers could get delayed further than September 2.

Speaking at a SLFP press conference today, he pointed out that the number of ministries in a national government has to be determined by the parliament.

The parliament is to be convened on September 1. However, reports said that the JVP will request a debate on the national government formation, which could delay the process.

Meanwhile, the SLFP anniversary celebration will be held on September 2 at Polonnaruwa. Therefore the SLFP ministers would find it difficult to attend the swearing-in on the same day.

Dissanayake clarified that the national government has not been officially formed. SLFP and UNP came to an understanding on how to work within such a government, he added. The national government will be formed following the necessary approval from the parliament on the number of ministries.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party on a national government this morning at the Presidential Secretariat.

The MoU was signed immediately after the swearing-in of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim and SLFP Acting General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake signed the MoU on behalf of the two parties.

Wickremesinghe's UNP won 106 seats in the recent parliamentary election. The SLFP is the larger partner in the UPFA, which won 95 seats.

Former MP from Ratnapura District, Ranjith de Zoysa, said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot refuse to be the opposition leader of the new parliament.

Speaking to Asian Mirror a short while ago, Zoysa said that Rajapaksa's supporters will make him change his mind, even if he refuses to be opposition leader.

Rajapaksa told media recently that he will be a backbencher in the new parliament.

Furthermore, Zoysa said that a minority of the SLFP Central Committee was opposed to the idea of a national government. However, the majority of the CC is now composed of loyalists of President Maithripala Sirisena, he pointed out.

Regardless of the SLFP CC decision, he will oppose a national government and will sit in opposition, Ziysa said.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party Treasurer S.B. Dissanayake said that those who reject SLFP Central Committee decisions will be expelled from the party.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, he said that the party Central Committee delegated power to the President to decise on joining the national government.

Meanwhile a committee was appointed to prepare a Memorendum of Understanding with those who are joining a national government.