SLPP MPs push for early General Election ahead of Presidential race

• Move becomes prominent after Prasanna Ranatunga’s open support to President
• Call for General Election is seen by some analysts as a ploy to pressurize President

By Kelum Bandara  

In the midst of ongoing discussions surrounding potential electoral alliances among political parties, a notable contingent of MPs from both the government and opposition camps have reportedly expressed a strong inclination towards advocating for a General Election to precede the scheduled presidential ballot, Daily Mirror learns.   The Presidential Election is scheduled to be conducted during the last quarter of this year in accordance with the Constitution. However, President Ranil Wickremesinghe can dissolve Parliament at any time for a snap General Election.   The President has asserted several times that he will take measures to conduct the Presidential Election. The political parties such as the National People’s Power (NPP) have already started campaigning for the Presidential Election.  

However, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the main party of the government, said it will take a decision regarding its support to any candidate at the Presidential Election only after careful calculation of the ground situation. A party spokesman said the SLPP would not make any rushed conclusion on the Presidential Election.  
“We will announce our stand after careful calculation of the ground situation,” he said.   

Party’s de facto leader Basil Rajapaksa who is currently out of the country will return on March 5. The spokesman said his arrival will follow a series of important political decisions. He also confirmed that some MPs advocate a General Election to precede the Presidential Election at this hour.

  
The SLPP currently remains divided with one section of its MPs fully backing the President and campaigning for his candidacy at the elections. The MPs who hold ministerial perks in the government belong to this category. Another section of the SLPP MPs remain in the government without portfolios, and they do not directly identify themselves with the President. The third section of the MPs who were elected on the SLPP ticket now remain with the opposition.  

 The SLPP’s division regarding the Presidential Election has widened after its MP Housing and Urban Development Minister Prasanna Ranatunga openly said that the party would back President Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Election. The SLPP group led by MP Nimal Lanza has also started campaigning for the President. This has led to MPs such as Namal Rajapaksa, the son of party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to disassociate himself from such remarks in support of the President.  

Some analysts believe that the latest agitation for a Parliamentary Election is yet another attempt to exert pressure on the President for political ends.