No caretaker Government

President vetoes UPFA demand:

by Rasika Jayakody

President Maithripala Sirisena has ruled out a demand made by some senior politicians of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to form a UPFA-led ‘caretaker’ Government prior to the Parliamentary general election, the Sunday Observer learns.

This group of UPFA seniors is understood to have pressed the President to expel the United National Party (UNP) from the current Government before the general elections. They demanded that the UPFA be allowed to form a UPFA-led caretaker Government before the Parliamentary election. The President, in response, has shot down the idea stating he did not want to resort to such a move, sources close to the President told the Sunday Observer.

No ‘Swan front’

Meanwhile, the UNP ruled out the possibility of reviving the ‘Swan front’ ahead of the Parliamentary election, political sources told the Sunday Observer.

Several civil society organizations and a group within the UPFA had requested President Sirisena and the UNP to revive the coalition around the Swan symbol that won the presidential election, to form a political front for the forthcoming general election.

The ‘Swan’ was the symbol of the common opposition of which Sirisena was the candidate.

The SLFP group supporting President Sirisena had agreed to proceed with the proposal and discuss with the UNP. The proposal however has not elicited a positive response from the UNP.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Minister of Plantation Industries and Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said the UNP had already decided to contest under its official symbol of the 'Elephant'.

"We cannot contest under the swan front as it will be unfair by our candidates. If we form a common alliance with the SLFP aiming the Parliamentary election, a large number of UNP stalwarts will not get a chance to contest the election.

That cannot be accepted especially when there is a UNP led government,” Kiriella said.

"But, several political parties will join hands with the UNP for the election. They will contest only under the traditional symbol of the UNP," he added.

"However, we have already agreed to form a national government after the election and that agreement remains the same," Kiriella said. He added that the UNP expected the dissolution of Parliament before the end of June.