Sri Lanka's unending political Tamasha! Opposition leader Premadasa withdraws from Presidential polls

Colombo, Jul 19: In a major announcement, Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa on Tuesday withdrew his candidature for President of the island nation and said he is supporting rival candidate Dullas Alahapperuma for the top post.

 

 

 

 

Premadasa took to Twitter to say that his party the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and its alliance and opposition partners will support Alahapperuma, an MP of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), who is in the fray for the upcoming presidential elections. Premadasa said that he is heading with this decision as he seeks the "greater good" for Lankans.

 

 

 

 

 

He said, "For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President. Samagi Jana Balawegaya and our alliance and our opposition partners will work hard towards making Dullas Alahapperuma victorious." Dullas Alahapperuma is a senior lawmaker from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and a former journalist. He was a Cabinet minister in the previous Rajapaksa government.

 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is presently the acting president, is among those who are in the race for the post of the President to be held on Jul 20 in which 225 members of the House are eligible to vote and participate in the secret ballot. It is interesting to note that the main opposition leader Premadasa had earlier said that he is set to contest the presidential elections. Terming the scenario of him winning Sri Lanka's presidential elections an "uphill task", Premadasa last Friday had said that he will contest the elections as he is convinced that the truth will prevail.