Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s Sirisena open to running for president again
COLOMBO – Former president and chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Maithripala Sirisena indicated on Thursday (Aug 31) he was open to running for president again, saying there might be a chance of him being asked to contest the presidential election in 2024.
He was responding to a question, following a media briefing, as to whether he would accept a call to run for president once again.
Expanding on his response, he quipped, “Can’t I work as president? I have shown that I can,” adding, “Let’s see how it goes. We’re ready for anything.”
Addressing the media briefing earlier, Sirisena said the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) does not pose any challenge to his SLFP, claiming the party was now in shambles and that it has no formal structure and no one even knows what their constitution is.
“No one knows what even happened to the president [Gotabaya Rajapaksa] in the end,” he said
Asked if members of the SLPP had offered to work together with the SLFP, Sirisena said: “We invite everyone, not the SLPP but all parties and MPs to come together to form an alliance for a good government,” emphasizing that his party will not give nominations to anyone with corruption allegations.
Noting that there was speculation that a provincial council election will be held first to test the waters, he said, “We’re ready for any election.”
Meanwhile, SLFP general secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara responding to reports that sections of the party were conspiring to have him removed from the position in the wake of a last-minute decision to shift the party’s 72nd anniversary celebrations from Kurunegala, his electorate, to Colombo, acknowledged he had learnt about the party’s decisions only at the party meeting on Thursday, but said he is happy to leave, if that’s what the party wanted.
“I’ll remain in the party, though,” he said
Claiming there was no pushback against him from the bottom, he alleged it was a few at the top level who want him out so they can go and plug the SLFP to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP).
Sirisena however denied there is any rift in the party, explain that the decision to shift the anniversary event venue was made taking into account the rainy weather now prevailing in the country, despite heavy rains in Colombo.
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