LNP - New Speaker of Parliament to be elected tomorrow

The appointment of a new Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of MP Asoka Ranwala will take place tomorrow (Dec. 17). Parliament is scheduled to convene on December 17 and 18 and the relevant nominations for the appointment of a new Speaker will be submitted on the first day. Meanwhile, three names have been proposed from the ruling party for the position of Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament. The names include current Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih, MP Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, and MP Nihal Galappaththi. It was reported that the ruling party Parliamentary group will meet today (15), to reach a final decision regarding the new appointment. The opposition has stated that they will also propose a name for the Speaker of Parliament, representing the opposition.  However, former MP Ashu Marasinghe expressed that it is inappropriate to suggest an opposition-aligned MP for the position. The newly elected Speaker of the Tenth Parliament, Asoka Ranwala, had informed the President in writing that he would resign from his post on December 13, amidst the controversy surrounding his educational qualifications. The President had accepted the letter of resignation. This marks the first time in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary history that a Speaker has resigned.