Speaker to decide on new seating arrangement today

The new seating arrangement in Parliament will be decided by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya this morning in the wake of the no confidence motion passed against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government yesterday.

The Speaker wrote to President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday informing him that the NCM was duly passed in Parliament and annexed a copy of the letter signed by 122 MPs who supported it so that the President can take appropriate action according to the Constitution. Under Article 48 (2) of the Constitution, the Cabinet of Ministers stands dissolved upon defeat of a no confidence motion and the President is required to appoint a new Prime Minister and a Cabinet thereafter. Parliament sources said that they will be guided by the Speaker in the allocation of seats in the Chamber. The House will reconvene at 10 a.m.