SLPP Gen. Sec. says its last-minute candidate will win the race

Talk of abolishing the controversial executive presidency has again surfaced in the lead-up to this year’s presidential election.

While there has been no official statement from President Ranil Wickremesinghe revealing any move to abolish the system before the coming presidential poll, it hasn’t stopped various political parties from expressing their views for or against its abolition.

When questioned over the move, ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said the SLPP supported the abolition of the executive presidency but insisted that as the main coalition party of the government, President Wickremesinghe should first reach out to the SLPP and explain what he intended to do.

He also stressed that the SLPP would insist on strengthening the powers of the Prime Minister if the executive presidency was to be abolished.

Moreover, he said the SLPP also wanted a new electoral system to be introduced prior to abolishing the executive presidency to ensure that whichever party won the parliamentary election, it should be able to form a strong government. “If we were to abolish the executive presidency and hold a parliamentary election under the current, weak electoral system, it would take the country towards anarchy and allow smaller parties to play kingmaker roles. We will not support any abolition of the executive presidency without electoral reforms, as we don’t want a weak government that bends to the whims and fancies of others."

He also dismissed claims that the SLPP was unwilling to field a candidate for the presidential election over fears of a humiliating defeat. “Many people have already started their campaigns and are claiming they will be the candidate from their party. We are not like that. We will present our candidate at the last minute,” he said.

Mr. Kariyawasam said recent history had shown that the candidate who was fielded late in the race had gone on to win the election. “This is true from Chandrika to Sirisena to Gotabaya. In the case of Gotabaya, though people had said the SLPP would field him, we only officially made him a candidate late in the race. We will field the best person at the last moment, and we expect him to win handsomely,” the SLPP General Secretary said very confidently.