Ranil turns down Parliamentary seat, endorses Ruwan

By Asiri Fernando

United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday turned down a request by several party members for him to enter parliament through the lone national list seat the party managed to salvage at the General Elections held in August. 

Daily FT learns that Wickremesinghe declined the offer made at a meeting held yesterday at party headquarters, pointing out that a ‘young member’ should be given the opportunity to represent the party in the Parliament. 

“The leader declined the offer and later some members proposed that the deputy leader should be given the opportunity,” former UNP MP Professor Ashu Marasinghe told the Daily FT. Wickremesinghe had indicated his support for the proposal that Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene take the parliamentary seat. 

However, Wijewardene had earlier stated that he had no desire to seek entry into parliament at this stage and wanted to focus on rebuilding the party.  

The UNP was undecided on who should represent the party in Parliament after securing the solitary national list seat, and was not represented in the house during the 20th Amendment or Budget presentation.