JHU urges meeting of all UNF parliamentary groups to choose presidential candidate

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has urged that the UNPs presidential candidate be chosen upon consultation with the parliamentary groups of all parties constituting the United National Front (UNF) alliance.

Issuing a statement, the JHU, which is member of the alliance, expressed disagreement with the United National Party (UNP)'s decision to chose the presidential candidate through its Working Committee.

The JHU outlined that its stance has been that the presidential candidate must be chosen by upholding democracy and also by obtaining the consensus of all political parties forming the alliance.

"Since it is not practical to obtain the opinion of all people who voted the UNF government into power, the best option is to convene a meeting of the parliamentary groups in the alliance and arrive at a decision in this regard," the party said.

Further, the JHU pointed out that there are no representatives of other parties in the UNP's Working Committee which is slated to make the decision concerning the presidential candidate.

It also raised concerns surrounding the democratic nature of the Working Committee.

"Although it is agreed that the UNP leads the UNF alliance, the presidential candidate must be chosen upon consultation of all constituent parties," the statement emphasised.

UNP leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya are among the leading names tipped to be the UNF's presidential candidate.