The United National Party has decided to contest the
Parliamentary election as the United National Front to accommodate Champika
Ranawaka and other ex-UPFA MPs contesting under the party ticket,
Colombo Telegraph learns.
According to sources close to the Prime Minster Ranil
Wickeremesinghe, nearly 13 ex-UPFA MPs have held discussions with the UNP
to contest as a common front at the Parliamentary election against former
PresidentMahinda
Rajapaksa. The group include the large majority of SLFP stalwarts who
supported PresidentMaithripala
Sirisena at the Presidential election in January. Several senior MPs
who supported former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Parliamentary election
had also held discussions to join the “good governance” front.
Among them are S.B. Dissanayake, Reginald Cooray, Piyasena
Gamage and Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopully, Colombo Telegraph learns. Provincial
Councilor Hirunika Premachandra, who received nominations from the UPFA is also
expected to join the “good governance” front.
The theme of their election campaign will be protecting and
strengthening the people’s mandate expressed at the residential election on
January 08.
The new alliance will be announced at the UNP convention
scheduled to take place today in Colombo. The ‘good governance’ will have a
meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tomorrow morning, before the
UNP convention, the party sources told Colombo Telegraph.
Political sources said the UPFA group had already informed
President Maithripala Sirisena of their decision.
The UNP has already decided to contest the election under
its traditional symbol ‘elephant’. Therefore, the new group too will have to
contest under the elephant symbol of the UNP.
Political observers say President Maithripala Sirisena will
be compelled to support the good governance front at the Parliamentary election
as all his close supporters have aligned themselves with the UNP-led alliance.
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