Colombo, Nov 5 (newsin.asia): Sri Lanka’s Executive and the Legislature seem to be heading for a head-on clash when parliament meets on November 14.

Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, on Monday said he will not recognize the new government sworn in by President Maithripala Sirisena recently until it proves its majority in Parliament.

But the newly appointed Foreign Minister Dr.Sarath Amunugama reacted sharply to this saying that the Speaker has no right to say what he did because it is not for him to pronounce whether a government and its ministers are legitimate or not. It is the prerogative of the President of Sri Lanka to appoint anyone, who in his opinion, commands the majority in the House.

Dr.Amunugama added that Speaker Jayasuriya is partisan when he ought to be neutral.

In a statement, Jayasuriya said he would continue to recognize ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his administration as the government in power as the President’s decision to sack Wickremesinghe and dissolve the earlier cabinet was unconstitutional.

“The majority of members are of the view that the changes are unconstitutional and against traditions,” Jayasuriya said in the statement.

“Until the group demonstrates a majority in parliament I re-iterate that I am compelled to recognize the situation that prevailed earlier,” Jayasuriya added.

The United People’s Freedom Alliance, which is headed by President Sirisena, in a statement said they rejected the Speaker’s statement saying ‘he did not have a legal right to chose the Prime Minister’ while the United National Party, headed by Wickremesinghe welcomed the Speaker’s decision.

Sri Lanka has been plunged into a political turmoil since Oct 26, when President Sirisena, in a surprising move dissolved his cabinet and sacked Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapakse to the post.

President Sirisena made the decision after his United People’s Freedom Alliance pulled out of the national unity government which it had formed with Wickremesinghe’s United National Party.

A new caretaker government has since then been appointed, with Wickremesinghe and other political parties calling the move illegal and urging Speaker Jayasuriya to convene Parliament to prove their majority.

On Oct 27, President Sirisena prorogued Parliament till Nov 16, but on Sunday evening he issued a special gazette notification saying Parliament would convene on Nov 14.

(The featured picture at the top is that of the newly appointed Foreign Minister Dr.Sarath Amunugama)