World News | Sri Lankan President Accepts Speaker Ranwala's Resignation

Colombo, Dec 14 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday accepted the resignation of parliamentary Speaker Asoka Ranwala, who announced his decision to step down from the post amidst a controversy surrounding his educational qualifications.

This is the first time in Sri Lanka's parliamentary history that a Speaker has resigned, according to the Adaderana news portal.

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Presidential Secretary Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake formally informed the Secretary General of Parliament that Dissanayake has accepted Ranwala's resignation, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

On Friday, Ranwala announced his resignation following days of speculation about him falsifying his educational qualifications.

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“...To stop the inconvenience caused to the government and the people who had placed trust in the government, I have decided to resign from the post of Speaker,” he said.

Ranwala's resignation came as the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) signed a motion of no trust against him, accusing him of misleading the public and the government by falsely claiming to possess a doctorate.

According to the NewsFirst news portal, Parliament has announced that a new Speaker will be elected on December 17, when the Parliament will convene again.

Ranwala was one of the 159 National People's Power (NPP) members elected after the party's historic landslide victory in the November 14 parliamentary election.

He was on the job for less than a month after being elected as the house speaker on November 21.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)