Opposition to present no-confidence motion against Speaker on Friday; Govt agrees to early debate

By The Pulseline News Desk

The Opposition will present a no-confidence motion against Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne on Friday (9), Opposition MP Ajith P. Perera told Parliament today (6).

The move will formally escalate the Opposition’s challenge against the Speaker, with the proposed motion containing 49 allegations, according to Perera.

Perera had earlier said the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentary group would take a final decision on the motion and the date for its submission following discussions among Opposition MPs. The SJB subsequently confirmed its decision to proceed with the motion.

Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake responding to Perera’s statement about the no-confidence motion against the Speaker, said the Government side want to take up the motion for debate during the next parliamentary session without any delay.

The allegations reportedly include claims concerning the Speaker’s conduct in Parliament, the use of official residences, the alleged misuse of State resources and issues relating to parliamentary procedures and Standing Orders. The Opposition has also raised allegations over the Speaker’s alleged influence on parliamentary employees in connection with an inquiry into missing items from the inventory of his official residence. These remain allegations by the Opposition and have not been established as findings against the Speaker.

The proposed motion has been in preparation for several weeks. The SJB previously said it had drafted the motion through a team comprising MPs and lawyers, with the Opposition alleging that the Speaker had repeatedly violated constitutional provisions, laws, parliamentary regulations and established parliamentary traditions.

The move also follows earlier disputes between the Opposition and Speaker Wickramaratne over parliamentary procedure. In September 2025, the Speaker ruled that a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekera was not in order, citing the absence of a specific constitutional provision for such a motion against a Deputy Minister. The Opposition subsequently warned that it could bring a no-confidence motion against the Speaker himself.

With the motion now scheduled to be formally presented on Friday, the next stage will be its consideration within Parliament, including the applicable parliamentary procedures governing its acceptance, debate and any subsequent vote.