Political parties gear for election | Sunday Observer

Political parties gear for election

11 November, 2018

Joining the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), immediately ahead of the January 5 General Election, former Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP Namal Rajapaksa kick-started the party’s election campaign in Hambantota yesterday.

Rajapaksa was seen holding his first meeting with the party’s supporters in preparation for the election. Rajapaksa said the party will strive to form a broader coalition under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to record a remarkable win.

Meanwhile, though the United National Party (UNP) has claimed it would move courts against the decision by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament, sources within the party said it is likely that former Minister of Housing Sajith Premadasa will lead the party at the upcoming General Election instead of ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Faced with fresh elections, some political parties are also gearing up while others have instead decided to first focus on the issue of Parliament being dissolved at an earlier date.

According to Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the party had any way been preparing itself for any future elections.

“We have been carrying out our campaigns well ahead,” he said. There have been plans to form a broad coalition with the support of civil society and academics.“As for the recently announced elections, the first step is to challenge that decision,” he said, adding that the JVP would, therefore, file a petition in Courts. “We will focus on any possible elections after that,” he said.

The leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Mano Ganesan also expressed similar sentiments. “The party will file a petition in the Courts tomorrow,” he said, adding that however, the party will also prepare for the election.

Ganesan confirmed that the DPF will contest under the United National Front (UNF) in the January elections. Former State Minister of Education and Leader of the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF), Velusamy Radhakrishnan, a member of the Tamil Progressive Front (TPF) also said they will contest the January 5 parliamentary polls in alliance with the United National Front (UNF).

Palany Digambaram of the Tamil Progressive Front (TPF) who has been aligned with the UNP told the Sunday Observer that following the announcement, the party is now in discussion regarding the elections. “However we have not taken a decision as to how we will face the elections,” he said, adding that forming a coalition or alliance with several other parties is a possibility. Digambaram said that the TPF would most likely arrive at a decision regarding the matter today.

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