Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa's party doesn't back Wickremesinghe, to name their own candidate

Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 30 : Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential polls, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the biggest party in the parliament, has decided not to back President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and instead put up its own candidate, the Daily Mirror reported.
Notably, SLPP is the party associated with the Rajapaksa brothers, who held most of the major power positions in the government until a few years ago.
Although, Wickremesinghe is the president, his party, the United National Party, has only one seat in parliament, which makes it important for him to have the backing of other parties, especially the SLPP.
SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters on Monday, that the SLPP decided, by majority, to nominate its own candidate at the election in September.
He said that the SLPP was split in its decision, with some members backing Wickremesinghe. However, the party went with the majority decision and will name its candidate before the election, the Daily Mirror reported.
Kariyawasam also said that action will be taken against SLPP MPs who go against the party decision and who contest the election without the backing of the party.
He stated that among the factors that went against Wickremesinghe were issues related to privatizing state assets.
Rajapaksa loyalist and former diplomat Udayanga Weeratunga had said on Friday that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will nominate businessman Dhammika Perera as its presidential candidate, as reported by the Daily Mirror.
He also said that SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa will be nominated as the Prime Minister in an SLPP-led government.
The island nation will go to the polls to elect a new president on September 21.
Notably, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth President of Sri Lanka in July 2022, when then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from the post. Wickremesinghe has retained United National Party (UNP) leadership since 1994 despite various challenges, the Daily Mirror reported.
Prior to serving as President, Wickremesinghe held the Prime Minister's post from time to time from 2002 to 2004, from January to August 2015, and from August 2015 to November 2019 and for a brief period in 2022, the report said. In May 1993, he became Sri Lankan PM in the interim government formed after the assassination of President R Premadasa.
Last week, Wickremesinghe announced his candidature for the presidential polls.
The Sri Lankan President said that it was love for his country that drove him to take up the task of rebuilding Sri Lanka, which was in chaos and on the brink of bankruptcy. He called on people to support him to create a bright future for Sri Lanka.