UNP leadership deadlock persists

Friday, 17 January 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Neither camp gives ground
Pro-Sajith faction claims won’t leave headquarters until Wickremesinghe gives up leadership

The United National Party (UNP) was deadlocked again yesterday in trying to appointing a leader, with both sides holding on to their respective positions.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sajith Premadasa

A Parliamentary Group meeting aimed at ending the leadership issue ended last evening, with neither faction yielding ground.

A group of MPs supporting Sajith Premadasa had refused to leave the party headquarters ‘Sirikotha’ until Ranil Wickremasinghe named Premadasa as the unconditional Leader of the Party, a senior UNP MP told the Daily FT.

Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha De Silva, taking to Twitter, stated that a request by the majority for a vote on the leadership was turned down, prompting some to take an unofficial vote on the proposal to make Sajith Premadasa the new UNP leader. Unofficial vote result was 52:0 for the proposal. De Silva claimed that Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had walked out.

“@RW_UNP abruptly adjourns @officialunp MP group meeting as majority asks for leadership vote. Gen Sec Akila n some follow. Others stay back n take unofficial vote on proposal to make @sajithpremadasa leader. Result 52:0 (total UNP MPs 77 including those not present today). Now?” he tweeted.

Kariyawasam was not reachable for comment.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.