Ex-President Ranil not to contest amid unification moves with SJB
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe will not contest the upcoming general elections, a senior party official said amid attempts to form a coalition with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
Wickremesinghe will also not take a national list seat, Ruwan Wijewardene of the United National Party (UNP) told reporters Tuesday (24).
However he will still have a role and be ready to help the country, he said.
In the presidential elections, Wickremesinghe came third, but with the SJB, the two groups won slightly over 50% of the vote.
Political sources said there were attempts to bring the two groups together with Wickremesinghe playing the role of ‘mentor’.
The SJB broke away with many members unhappy over the favouritism and the way the UNP working committee was packed.
However, political sources say there is unhappiness at the way the SJB campaign was handled by current leader Sajith Premadasa and his close aides where all comers with tainted reputations were taken in and subsidies were offered.
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