by Sahan Tennekoon in The Morning, Apr 7, 2023
The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government Party has not made a decision yet as to whether they would support the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe to run for a second Presidential term, The Daily Morning learned.
When contacted by The Daily Morning, SLPP General Secretary and Parliamentarian Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam said that such a decision has not been made yet and that the Party will make the decision when it is necessary to be made. “There are several rumours being circulated within the political arena that the SLPP is going to support President Wickremesinghe in the Presidential election which is to be held next year (2024). Not only the name of the President, but the names of several other senior members of the SLPP are also among the rumoured Presidential candidates. But, the Party has not made a final decision about the Presidential candidate of the SLPP,” he said.
Kariyawasam also said that anyone in the Party can hold any opinion and that it is totally up to them to decide as to whom they support at the said election. “We saw that some of the Ministers had said that they believe that President Wickremesinghe should be the next Presidential candidate as there is an opinion that he has steered the country well through the economic crisis. That is their personal opinion. It is not the stance of the Party. We are not in a hurry to decide as to who should be the SLPP’s Presidential candidate as the election is to be held at the end of 2024,” he noted.
Recently, the Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera had said that a majority of the SLPP MPs are of the view that Wickremesinghe should be the next Presidential candidate and that the matter has been discussed among various Party members.
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/QIintEDkMrk2lNrDpBDH
