Colombo: Acting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and two others were on Tuesday proposed as three candidates for the July 20 presidential election to choose Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s successor, a popular revolt against his government for mismanagement of the economy. later resigned. Wickremesinghe, 73, will face Dullas Alhapparuma, 63, a staunch Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist and a key member of a group that broke away from the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party and the leftist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). 53-year-old Anura Kumara Disanayake was officially announced in the Parliament.
Sajith Premadasa, 55, leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition Samagi Jana Balvegaya, said on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race to support Alhapparuma. The 225-member parliament is expected to elect a new president after July 20, who will serve the remainder of former President Rajapaksa’s term until November 2024.
Premadasa said his party and opposition allies would work towards making Alhaperuma a winner in the presidential election. “For the greater good of my country which I love and the people I love, I withdraw my candidacy for the presidency. The SJB and our coalition and our opposition ally work hard to make Dullas victorious. will do.” Premadasa said in a tweet on Tuesday.
“I am going to Parliament to take an important step. I want the people of Sri Lanka to know that I will take the right decision at an appropriate time to protect the national interests of my motherland and the rights of all my fellow Sri Lankans.” Premadasa had earlier said in a tweet.
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Alhapparuma is a staunch Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist and a prominent member of the breakaway group of the SLPP. The former cabinet minister and mass media and former newspaper columnist is being seen as a left-wing political ideologue. He has served in ministerial positions since 2005 and enjoys a reputation for clean public life.
The third candidate in the fray is Leftist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Anura Kumara Disanayake. Wednesday’s vote will also be a rare occasion when the Speaker of the House will vote.
Parliament has never voted to elect a president since 1978. He was elected by popular vote in the presidential elections of 1982, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019.
The only previous occasion when the presidency fell vacant mid-term was in 1993 when President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated. DB Vijetunga was unanimously endorsed by the Parliament to drive the balance of Premadasa’s tenure.
The new president will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term until November 2024. The 225-member parliament is dominated by the ruling SLPP party, which has around 100 MLAs.