Speaker says no provisions to change Opposition Leader
Posted in Local News
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed Parliament today that according to the Constitution as well as Parliament tradition, he has no authority to change the Opposition Leader.
A letter signed by 8 UPFA MPs had been submitted to the Speaker on July 30 requesting to appoint UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardene as the Leader of the Opposition, as the party is represented by 70 MPs in the Parliament.
The appointment of Mr Sampanthan as the Opposition Leader was unconstitutional in the first place !! Now the Speaker says he has no authority to correct the previous political appointment. Surely the Opposition has to resort to legal redress now.