Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will field a common candidate for the upcoming presidential election, as it has done in the past.
“We will field a common candidate as we have done in the past. Everyone will see how powerful our candidate is going to be,” he told journalists.
When asked about the possibility of supporting the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Rajapaksa said that SLPP would back Wickremesinghe if he stays with their party. “We will support Ranil if he remains with us,” he said.
In a related development, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara confirmed that Wickremesinghe’s candidacy will be officially declared as soon as the election commission announces the date of the Presidential election.
“We will officially announce our leader’s candidacy as soon as the date for the Presidential election is announced,” he stated.
