Ranil retains UNP leadership amidst WC boycott by Premadasa loyalists

• Premadasa loyalists Ajith P. Perera, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka left out of newly-constituted WC
• Premadasa, 15 others boycott yesterday’s meeting
• Premadasa named to lead alliance contesting General Election, will be PM candidate
• RW to remain UNP Leader 

Amidst a boycott by MPs loyal to Sajith Premadasa, the UNP Working Committee (WC), which met yesterday, named Premadasa to lead the alliance to contest the upcoming Parliamentary Elections while retaining Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Party Leader.

The WC also decided that Premadasa would be the Prime Ministerial candidate of the UNP led alliance while he will also head the nomination board for the elections, Party sources said.

The decision was made amidst a boycott of the WC by 16 of its members, after two Premadasa loyalists, namely Ajith P. Perera and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, were not named to the newly-constituted WC. 

Perera and Fonseka were not named to the WC this year as several complaints had been lodged against them on grounds they breached party discipline , UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariawasam said .

Imitiaz Bakeer Markar and Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake, too, were not named to the WC, but their names are under consideration, sources said.

Of the 59 members of the WC, six had informed Party Secretary General Akila Viraj Kariyawasam of their inability to attend, but 16 others had not attended yesterday’s meeting.

UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, too did not attend yesterday’s meeting.

MP Harsha de Silva voiced his concerns about the disunity in the Party through his Twitter account yesterday, saying that unity in the UNP is more important than sacking vocal members loyal to Premadasa, saying it is a completely wrong move. “Makes me sad as one who tried so hard to agree on a workable solution,” he said.