AKD says will remain undeterred and fight for people’ protection

Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (Nov 18) said his National People’s Power (NPP) movement will remain undeterred in order to fight for the protection and the rights of the people.

“After the election, a situation has arisen where distrust is being created among communities,” he told reporters in his first news conference following his defeat at the presidential poll.

Dissanayake amassed 418,553 votes coming third in the race, a result which he described as “below expected levels”.

He said that the NPP’s vision would be to witness economic development, democracy, unite all communities and ensure public security.

The presidential candidate said he would rethink ways of enhancing his popularity among the people against the backdrop of biased media outlets which run on political agendas.

Analysing the presidential election results, Dissanayake said one candidate had obtained the votes of the South by centering his campaign on racism.

The other had won the confidence of the Northern and Eastern people who had collectively taken a decision with the hope of ensuring their security, he added.

“We will never fall prey to racism,” the NPP candidate stressed. “We will stand for national security amidst any obstacle.”