Posted on February 9, 2010 by admin

UNP TO DISTANCE ITSELF AWAY FROM JVP/FONSEKA ?

Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party is planning to hold several meetings to make a final decision regarding the upcoming general elections. The Working Committee of the UNP is to meet on February 11th to take a final decision, party’s General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said.

According to Attanayake, the Working Committee is expected to hold discussions with the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the opposition coalition United National Front (UNF) that includes the one-man parties Mahajana Wing and Democratic People’s Front and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).

“After talking to the JVP and the UNF, they will map out strategies to contest the elections. They are already exchanging views,” Attanayake said.

All party officials and organizers representing all the provinces will be meeting on the 9th, he added.

Local media reports say that the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has decided to contest the general elections under the elephant symbol as some party seniors wanted but under the UNF banner. The UNP is considering distancing itself from the JVP-Sarath Fonseka alliance, reports say.

Meanwhile, the JVP has invited the constituent parties of the UNF to form a new alliance under the swan symbol, Sunday Times reported.

( ColomboPage)