• Per alliance constitution, says SLFP Snr. Vice Prez

A future Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) alliance will be headed by the party Chairman, with executive powers, as per the alliance’s constitution, the party said yesterday (29). 

This, despite former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s name has been suggested as the leader of the new political alliance which is to be formed under the leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), The Daily Morning learns. 

The SLFP’s incumbent President is Opposition Parliamentarian and former President Maithripala Sirisena.

In the wake of several media reports being circulated suggesting that Kumaratunga was to lead the new SLFP-led political alliance, SLFP Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Luxman Piyadasa yesterday (29) told The Daily Morning that her name had been suggested as the leader of the alliance, but that her position would not have executive powers within the alliance, unlike the SLFP leadership. 

Prof. Piyadasa also said that Kumaratunga’s name was suggested for the position as they wanted to unite all breakaway groups and political groups with different political opinions. “Kumaratunga’s name was suggested for the leadership of the alliance. But that position does not have executive powers. There is a separate Chairperson of the alliance who has the power as per the constitution of the alliance. 

“The constitution says that the Chairperson and the General Secretary of the alliance should be members of the SLFP. Therefore, the alliance’s Chairperson will have the executive power within the alliance,” he also noted, adding that the SLFP would contest any upcoming election either as the People’s Alliance (PA) or the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

In this context, Prof. Piyadasa recently told The Daily Morning that Sirisena would be the presidential candidate of the alliance that is being formed under the leadership of the SLFP targeting the upcoming elections. He also stated that this had been agreed upon by the party’s Central Working Committee, while the party’s All-Island Working Committee had also proposed and seconded the same.

He also reiterated that the party was not planning to ally with either the main Parliamentary Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya or the ruling governing parties, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the United National Party.