The SLPP will announce its presidential candidate only after incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe makes his decision official, said the party’s founder Basil Rajapaksa.
He told the president so at a meeting at the latter’s official residence in Colombo on the afternoon of 23 April.
Wickremesinghe assured him that he will definitely contest the election.
Both agreed that until such time the election is announced, they should prioritize overcoming common challenges without arguing over presidential candidatures.
Also, they discussed allowing former local government representatives to take part in government development work in official capacity.
The president told Rajapaksa that they would be allotted funds via a district committee system.
Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s acceptance of the SLFP’s acting chairmanship while being a SLPP member too, came under discussion.
Rajapaksa said it was up to the president to decide if that minister should be sacked.
The SLPP cannot allow wrong precedents to happen and it has already resorted to action in that regard at official level, he added.
