SLPP members barred from expressing personal views on Presidential candidacy

• SLPP General Secretary  Sagara Kariyawasam reveals party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed members to not express personal views until a formal decision is reached 
• SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa is appointed as party National Organiser ahead of polls 

Sagara Kariyawasam

Namal Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam yesterday disclosed that party members have been directed by party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to abstain from expressing their personal opinions regarding the party’s presidential candidacy and potential candidates.

“He explicitly requested that party members refrain from publicly expressing their personal opinions on the Presidential candidacy until the party’s  executive council and politburo convene and reach a formal decision,” he said. 

Kariyawasam disclosed this while responding to questions from the media regarding the party’s presidential candidacy subsequent to a SLPP executive committee meeting held at the party headquarters yesterday.

Meanwhile at the meeting, led by party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and founder Basil Rajapaksa, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was appointed as the party’s National Organiser.

Rajapaksa, addressing the media subsequent to his appointment, clarified the party’s stance on prioritising Parliamentary elections before a Presidential poll.

“Constitutionally, a Presidential election must precede. However, we believe that to ensure political stability in the country, it requires a President with a clear mandate,” he articulated.

Citing opposition to privatisations and supported by the argument that the current President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, lacks a mandate to carry out such actions, Rajapaksa emphasised the importance of obtaining the necessary mandate first.