President to be common, independent candidate, UNP claims
President Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest Sri Lanka’s upcoming presidential election as an independent candidate backed by a broad alliance.
Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara stated this at an event.
The minister said that Wickremesinghe’s candidacy will be neutral, not representing any one party.
“President Wickremesinghe will contest as an independent national candidate on a common platform where people representing all parties, ethnicities, and religions as well as people with diverse views can come together and once again become president of this country,” said Nanayakkara.
Former parliamentarian Harrison, a spokesman for Wickremesinghe’s United National Party, claimed that he would get 10 million votes at the presidential poll, which will be held between September 17 and October 17.
Harrison also took a shot at the leftist National People’s Power (NPP) led by the Marxist-Leninist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which, according to at least one voting intention poll, is far ahead of any other contender, including the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
“The JVP thinks that their 3 percent has climbed to 80 percent. For that to happen, all of us will have to vote for them. That is not the case. If you take the whole country, at the most, the 3 percent will go up to no more than 5 or 10 percent,” said Harrison, referring to the 3 percent of the vote the NPP got at the last two national elections in 2019 and 2020.
Harrison also suggested that Wickremesinghe can expect the support of his apparent rivals.
“He will be the common candidate. A section of the SJB will also join him,” he said.
According to MP Chandima Weerakkody, who recently joined the main opposition party, predictions of SJB members joining the UNP en masse have so far come to naught.
“They said 35 would go, 40 would go, and they would go on March 8. They gave different dates. The UNP held two conventions. Because no one joined the first one, they said it would happen in the second. No one came,” said Weerakkody.
“No one who was elected by the people and does not yield to money will not take such a decision. The UNP is a party that only got 150,000 to 200,000 votes. Can a party like that have 7.5 million votes?” he said.
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