The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) member Ali Zahir Moulana has officially been declared an elected Member of Parliament for the Batticaloa District, marking the appointment to the Parliament seat previously held by Minister of Environment Naseer Ahamed.

This announcement comes on the heels of the recent landmark Supreme Court verdict, which confirmed the legality of Naseer Ahamed's expulsion from the SLMC. The court ruling was issued on the preceding Friday, affirming the party's decision to expel the minister who subsequently changed his political affiliation and was sworn in as the Environment Minister within the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led Government in April 2022.

The Supreme Court's determination led to the declaration of Naseer Ahamed's parliamentary seat as vacant, with the Elections Commission receiving an official notice from the Secretary General of Parliament.

Ali Zahir Moulana, a fellow member of the SLMC, was next in line to assume the vacant parliamentary position, having secured the second-highest number of votes for the SLMC in the Batticaloa District during the previous election.