Sri Lanka: Opposition parties, independent and ruling party MPs to back Alahapperuma for president

Sri Lanka’s opposition political parties, minority parties, independents MPs as well as members of the ruling party announced Tuesday night, that they will back the ruling party member Dullas Alahapperuma against presidential hopeful and current acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe.

As Sri Lankans await their fate while 225 Parliamentarians will vote in a secret ballot to elect a new president on Wednesday, the contest is expected to be a close one.

On Tuesday morning, on the day of Sri Lanka’s presidential nominations, Sajith Premadasa, the main opposition party leader who had vowed to “listen to the struggling people of Sri Lanka '' once he becomes president, decided to quit the presidential race. Instead, he announced, he will support the ruling party candidate, former media minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

A detailed MOU has been signed between the two, that includes the abolishing of the executive presidency and re-introducing the 19th Amendment that significantly clips the wings of the all-powerful executive president and strengthens Parliament.

Premadasa’s decision, party sources told Khaleej Times, was “a calculated one”.

“We did the math and realised Sajith cannot win the presidential election this time. Ranil (Wickremesinghe) will end up winning. So we decided to reach an agreement with Dullas where we will support him for presidency and he will bring in Sajith as Prime Minister.”

The deal is a fail proof one – if Alahapperuma wins.

The ruling party that Alahapperuma belongs to, led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, the recently ousted prime minister and brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned on the run last week, holds a majority 145 of the 225 seats in Parliament. The votes within the party is split – though to what extent nobody knows - with one faction expected to vote for current acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has gained the reputation of using his powers to protect the corrupt Rajapaksa family; and the other to vote for Alahapperuma.

Six ruling party MPs have so far expressed their support for Alahapperuma openly.

While Premadasa’s Samagi Jana Balawegaya party decided to throw their weight behind Alahapperuma, the Sri Lankan Freedom Party, led by former president Maithripala Sirisena, which had earlier announced will refrain from voting, said they would also back Alahapperuma on Tuesday evening.

Other parties including the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, All Ceylon Makkal Congress, Tamil Progressive Alliance and the Tamil National Alliance – the main Sri Lankan party that represents the Tamils of Sri Lanka, announced they will back Alahapperuma.

Earlier today, Wimal Weerawansa, a Rajapaksa supporter with a colourful past, said a group of 16 MPs who belong to the Union of Independent Parties will use their votes tomorrow for the victory of Alahapperuma.