Patali’s United Republican Front to be launched today 

• Party to be named ‘United Republic Front’ under symbol of pencil 
• Leader Patali Champika Ranawaka says it will propose a three-year plan to rebuild Sri Lanka 
• Claims party will be combination of experienced persons and new faces

SJB parliamentarian  Patali Champika Ranawaka

A new political party led by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarian Patali Champika Ranawaka will be launched today at the National Youth Center Auditorium. The party named the ‘United Republic Front’ will be launched to coincide with Sri Lanka’s Republic Day. The chosen symbol for the new party is the ‘pencil’. 

Speaking to the media on Saturday about his motive to launch a new political party, Ranawaka said in the past year Sri Lanka has witnessed the simultaneous bankruptcy of the country’s traditional form of politics and economy. 

The MP said the existing political parties in Sri Lanka have only presented simple solutions to the current crisis. Ranawaka also noted that the current IMF-sanctioned plan being implemented to rebuild Sri Lanka is one that will extend until 2028 and beyond. 

“In comparison, we are proposing a concise, three-year blueprint aimed at restoring Sri Lanka to its 2019 state. We will also seek to implement a plan to rebuild and develop the economy beyond that,” he explained. 

“This is not new wine in an old bottle. Instead, we are attempting to create an entirely new bottle,” he added.  The MP said his party will consist of experienced persons as well as some new faces in the field of politics. “It will be a combination of both,” he noted. 

Ranawaka emphasized that 43 Brigade, a movement initiated by him, is strictly apolitical and will operate independently from the new political party. “However, we have invited those from the movement who have an interest in politics to join us,” he said.