By Jayashika Padmasiri

The United National Party (UNP) yesterday announced that it was confident it would clinch a majority victory at the next general elections and form a National Government.

UNP media spokesman and Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told the media that the UNP would obtain a majority of between 120-125 seats in Parliament at the forthcoming general election. 

In response to Opposition claims that the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) would form a Government after the general election, Kariyawasam said that this would not happen. He said that what the Opposition was claiming was not important as the UNP would come to power with a parliamentary majority and then form a National Government. 

“We honestly don’t understand what the Opposition Leader is saying as he changes his words all the time. First he said that he would not sign the no confidence motion but later he went and signed it. He is like water which takes the shape of the container it is poured into, the Opposition Leader’s words often change,” he explained.

He added that it was wrong of anybody to say that the UNP did not want to amend the electoral system.

“We want electoral reforms and to pass the 20th Amendment and then call for an election,” he revealed. 

He went on to state that it was  decided at a recent Cabinet meeting that 20A would soon be presented to Parliament and everybody in the Cabinet had agreed to the 225 parliamentary seats proposed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

“The general election will be held before the provincial council election. However, the election will be held according to the prevailing system. Though this was not discussed at the recent Cabinet meeting, an understanding was reached over this,” Kariyawasam said. 

He also said that when people voted and gave a mandate to make Maithripala Sirisena the President of the country, they voted knowing who would become the Prime Minister. Kariyawasam pointed out that some politicians were trying to derail the Government’s course of action. 

“We are working according to an economic vision. However, some traitors are trying to sabotage this process. Today parliamentarians such as G.L Peiris and Bandula Gunawardane are talking as if they are the owners of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The people voted for us to implement the 100 day-program. Therefore we will not listen to what the bankrupt Rajapaksa regime is saying and only consider the views of the public. However, we ask the SLFP to respect the wishes of the people and unite within their party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the SLFP, which falls next year, under President Sirisena,” he said. 

Kariyawasam also stated that today democracy was present within the SLFP and SLFP parliamentarians even dared to say no to the President unlike during the previous regime. He pointed out that it was the UNP which established democracy within the SLFP.

UNP predicts win with Sinhala Buddhists votes

The United National Party (UNP) yesterday said that they would win the upcoming general election with the votes of Sinhala Buddhists. 

UNP media spokesperson Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that the UNP had never been a racist party however he said that since the UNP had been accused of not being able to obtain Sinhala Buddhists votes, at the next election the party would prove otherwise and win with the votes of Sinhala Buddhists.