By Safrah Fazal  

Nearly 76% of voters in Daily Mirror’s poll were of the opinion that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should not team up with the Rajapaksas in the upcoming Presidential elections.  

The question asked of respondents was, “Amidst recent criticism by Basil Rajapaksa on the breakaway faction of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)- who have joined the government- should Ranil Wickremesinghe team up with the Rajapaksas and contest the next elections? 

Of a total of 1,645 respondents, nearly 76% voted ‘No’, nearly 21% voted ‘Yes’, while nearly 3% voted ‘Do Not Know’.  

The poll followed the reports that surfaced last month of the founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa having informed his party’s breakaway group at a meeting also attended by President Wickremesinghe that the Rajapaksas were not ready to cow down to any pressure.  

He had reportedly delivered these remarks when Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga – a breakaway member of the party backing President Wickremesinghe – had informed the same meeting that there is a request from other parties and groups for the accommodation of the SLPP for a broad alliance sans the members of the Rajapaksa family.  

Meanwhile, on Saturday (27), President Ranil Wickremesinghe officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming Presidential election during a rally in Galle.