SLPP’s call for early general election discarded

by Shamindra Ferdinando

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has concluded talks with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) regarding the possibility of advancing parliamentary polls, ahead of the Presidential Election.

The Presidential Poll is constitutionally scheduled to be held in Sept/Oct this year whereas the current Parliament can continue till next year.

President Wickremesinghe yesterday told his Cabinet that Presidential Election would be held first, as scheduled, and the required funds had been allocated. The Cabinet met at the Parliament yesterday.

Director General of Information Department Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne confirmed the presidential declaration. Karunaratne told The Island that a special post-Cabinet media briefing would be held today (23) at the Information Department regarding this.

Over the past several weeks, President Wickremesinghe met SLPP founder Basil Rajapaksa with the latter repeating their demand for early parliamentary polls.

Authoritative SLPP sources told The Island that the ruling party felt that the parliamentary poll should be held first, hence their decision to ask the President to dissolve Parliament.

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila and Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador in Moscow Udayanga Weeratunga declared that the Parliament would be dissolved soon.

Political sources said that the SLPP faced another major split with a sizable group of parliamentarians throwing their weight behind Wickremesinghe, expected to contest under a symbol other than the ‘lotus bud’ or ‘elephant.’

SJB sources reiterated that they were certain no one would switch allegiance to Wickremesinghe, in addition to Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando. They accepted ministerial portfolios in May 2022.