By: Isuru Parakrama
September 26, Colombo (LNW): Efforts are underway to form a political alliance among the parties and groups that supported former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Whilst no final decisions have been made, further discussions are planned for today (26), as key players seek to shape their election strategy.
A significant meeting is set to take place this morning between representatives of the United National Party (UNP) and Ranil Wickremesinghe himself. The discussions will centre around the format of their participation in the forthcoming election, including the symbol under which they will contest.
Should an alliance be established, they will also explore the groundwork needed to formalise this coalition.
Later today, another crucial meeting is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. between Wickremesinghe and members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), who supported him during the last presidential race.
It is anticipated that this gathering will finalise the alliance’s strategy for contesting the parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, the recently formed ‘Podujana Eksath Nidahas Peramuna,’ a breakaway faction of SLPP loyalists backing Wickremesinghe, is yet to receive approval from the Election Commission to contest under the “trophy” symbol.
Without this clearance, they are considering using the “chair” symbol of the Podujana Eksath Peramuna as an alternative.
Approval from the Election Commission is essential for the alliance to contest under their desired emblem, and discussions today may determine the next steps.
