Presidential first - Ranil assures Patali

• Patali meets President Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss Common Minimum Plan proposed by URF 
• Wickremesinghe expresses agreement with need to form an alliance to implement proposed program
• Stresses that neither a general election nor a referendum would take place before a Presidential poll
• Patali Champika Ranawaka says URF will discuss plan with all parties except for SLPP 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday assured United Republic Fund (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka that Presidential elections will be held as scheduled. The President said the Presidential election will be held first, with a parliamentary expected to follow in early 2025. 

The President provided this assurance during his meeting with Ranawaka yesterday at the United National Party (UNP) headquarters, Sirikotha. The discussion centred on the URF’s recently revealed Common Minimum Plan, which aims to revive the nation.

Wickremesinghe also stressed that despite rumours, neither a general election nor a referendum would take place before a presidential election.

The URF met with the UNP leadership as part of a series of scheduled discussions, with other political parties to present the formulated plan debuted by the party in February. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Ranawaka said the discussion with Wickremesinghe was fruitful and the URF plans to discuss the program with all the political parties except the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which is responsible for the current status of the nation.

During the meeting, President Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged having reviewed the programs put forth by the United Republic Front, emphasising their significance. He mentioned ongoing efforts to bolster state revenue for economic stabilisation and expressed a desire to implement a revenue authority akin to the proposals outlined by the URF. 

Additionally, the two parties engaged in a discussion regarding political action. Ranawaka emphasised the necessity of forming an alliance capable of implementing the Common Minimum Plan for the upcoming elections. President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed agreement with this notion, stating his inclination towards such an idea. He mentioned plans to initiate negotiations with all parties in the latter half of March, particularly focusing on restructuring IMF debt. 

In response, the leaders of the URF emphasised the importance of prioritising such a Common Minimum Plan in the forthcoming elections. They underscored the necessity for the Presidential candidate to possess the capability to secure the people’s vote and subsequently demonstrate effective leadership in governing the nation post-election. The President also expressed agreement with the sentiments conveyed by the leaders of the URF. 

The party led by Ranawaka will meet with the SJB to discuss the plan today and will continue to meet with other parties to discuss it as well. 

“The URF has affirmed its commitment to transparency regarding the proposed program and its earnest intention to implement it. With the overarching objective of liberating the entire populace from the prevailing crises, we stress the necessity for comprehensive implementation. To achieve this, we aspire to forge a broad alliance,” Ranawaka said.