SLFP must go it alone | Sunday Observer

SLFP must go it alone

20 January, 2019

If the SLPP doesn’t wish to make President Maithripala Sirisena the next Presidential candidate, the SLFP must go it alone and become the crucial balance of power in Parliament for the next Government, former Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said. Samarasinghe told the Sunday Observer that the only incentive to support a tie-up between the SLPP and the SLFP would be President Sirisena agreeing to be the common candidate.’ adding that,’ if it was not forthcoming there was no point in jeopardising their vote base by going for an alliance.

He said the SLPP members were expressing divergent views to the media that they will have their own candidate, lambasting the SLFP and the President. The ‘Rajapksa brothers’ had been promoting their own candidacy.

“I feel that unless that trend is immediately arrested by former President Rajapaksa himself these sentiments will grow and reach the grassroots.

That will be detrimental to President Sirisena.’

He said that going by the last Local Government election results the best combination to win the election would be the SLPP and the SLFP. At the last election, the SLPP and the SLFP secured 39 per cent and 15 per cent of the votes.

The former Minister said he may consider premature retirement or another option to consolidate his political future, if the SLFP plans to join the SLPP rather than the presidential candidacy being offered to President Sirisena. 

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