SLFP is contesting Presidential Election as an alliance: President

President Maithripala Sirisena says that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by him will contest the next Presidential Election as an alliance and not alone.

The President disclosed this while addressing the SLFP Kurunegala district convention held at the Hettipola Weekly Fairgrounds today. A large crowd including senior members of the SLFP were present. 

Addressing the convention, the President stated that the SLFP is not prepared to launch any program that will harm the vision of the party or lose a future for its supporters.

He said the SLFP will ally itself with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for the next Presidential Election only if it agrees with the SLFP's proposal to contest the Presidential Election under a common symbol.

President Sirisena said he informed the SLPP that his party cannot agree to form an alliance under the symbol of the flower bud. He said the SLPP must be flexible if it were to reach an agreement to form an alliance with the SLFP.

Expressing his views, the President said although the SLFP has suffered many setbacks in the history of the party, the party never died due to its populist program.

He said that regardless of the claims that the SLFP is weakened today, whoever wants to become the next president needs the support of the SLFP and no one should forget that the appointment of the next president will be decided by the SLFP.

The President further emphasised that the aim of the SLFP is to gain power in Parliament in 2020 to elect a Government that has more powers than a president who does not have power under the present Constitution.

President Sirisena stressed that the party is working towards achieving that goal as an alliance, not alone.

He said the new Government would take the motherland ruined by the corrupt elite and create a country free of corruption, and free of any foreign power.

The President claimed the current conflict in the Government is not a personal conflict between the Prime Minister and himself, but a conflict against corruption and fraud, as well as the neo-liberal political policy and the populist politics of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.

The President said that although he removed the Prime Minister from the post and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister, it was not his fault that they were not able to fulfil the task they had undertaken. He reminded that the Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and the members of the SLPP remain in Parliament due to the letter given to the Speaker by the UPFA General Secretary.

Speaking further at the conference, President Sirisena stressed that the SLFP, which has not been subjected to an indecent political allegations, is committed to the service of the country and the people while protecting the identity, and dignity of the party.

SLFP Senior Vice President Nimal Siripala de Silva, General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, United People's Freedom Alliance General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera, National Organiser Duminda Dissanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, North Western Province Governor Peshala Jayaratne and other senior members were present.