ECONOMYNEXT — The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will contest the upcoming elections, whether presidential or parliamentary, as part of an alliance, MP Shantha Bandara said.
Speaking to reporters, Bandara said the SLPP holds the biggest vote base in the country.
“The SLPP has a bigger base compared to other parties. We will contest upcoming elections as part of an alliance. That alliance will be the biggest alliance there is. We have no apprehensions about winning the next election whether it’s a presidential election or a parliamentary election,” he said.
“The president has informed us quite clearly that the next election will be presidential,” he added.
The SLPP has yet to publicly announce its plans for the presidential election due to be held between September 17 and October 17 this year.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party (UNP), heads an SLPP-led government after the ruling party voted for him en masse to appoint him president.
There are indications of increased factionalisation within the SLPP since then, with a number of cabinet and state ministers vocally expressing their support for Wickremesinghe at the upcoming polls, while other SLPP members discuss the possibility of fielding the party’s own candidate. Still others opt to hold their cards close to their chest and make vague references to announcing the SLPP’s decision when the time is right.
Meanwhile, influential sections of the SLPP including the top level leadership have started to subtly criticise some of President Wickremesinghe’s ongoing economic reforms, particularly with regard to the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Spokesmen for the UNP, on the other hand, has said Wickremesinghe will be contesting the presidential election as an independent candidate, backed by a grand alliance of various political parties.
The UNP has also hinted of potential crossovers from the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), though these have yet to materialise. (Colombo/Jun13/2024)