SLPP Decides to Field Its Own Candidate, Snubbing President Wickremesinghe Ahead of Polls

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will not back President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential elections. Instead, it plans to nominate businessman Dhammika Perera as its candidate, with Namal Rajapaksa slated for Prime Minister.

Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential polls, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the largest party in the parliament, has decided against supporting President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Instead, the party will field its own candidate, the Daily Mirror reported. The SLPP, closely associated with the Rajapaksa brothers, controlled most major government positions until a few years ago.

Although Wickremesinghe is the current president, his party, the United National Party (UNP), holds just one seat in parliament. Therefore, backing from other parties, especially the SLPP, is crucial for his administration. On Monday, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam announced that the party, by majority decision, will nominate its own candidate for the September election.

Despite a split within the SLPP, with some members favoring Wickremesinghe, the party decided to go with the majority opinion. Kariyawasam warned that action would be taken against MPs who defy the party’s decision and run independently. Among the issues influencing the decision were disputes over privatizing state assets. Rajapaksa loyalist Udayanga Weeratunga said last Friday that the SLPP would nominate businessman Dhammika Perera as its presidential candidate. He also mentioned that SLPP National Organizer Namal Rajapaksa is slated to be appointed Prime Minister in an SLPP-led government.

Sri Lanka is set to elect a new president on September 21. Notably, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth President of Sri Lanka in July 2022 after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned. Wickremesinghe has led the UNP since 1994 and has held the prime ministerial position multiple times over the years. Last week, he announced his candidacy for the presidential polls, urging the public to support him in his mission to rebuild and stabilize Sri Lanka.