Presidential candidate won't be chosen by a vote : UNP General Secretary

United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam today (Aug 20) said that the Party's presidential candidate would be chosen by the party central committee and not by a vote.

Kariyawasam told Times Online that the candidate would probably be chosen by next month following discussions between the party's parliamentary group and central committee.

UNP Parliamentarians yesterday stated that a recommendation had been made to nominate an individual who commands the majority of the working committee and the Parliamentary group as the candidate.

"There is no provision in the party constitution to chose a presidential candidate through a vote," the UNP General Secretary stated.

Meanwhile, UNP parliamentarian Chandima Gamage today refuted claims that tensions were brewing within the party with one fraction siding with party leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and another with Deputy Leader Minister Sajith Premadasa.

"We hope to nominate our candidate in near future with the support of both Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa," Mr. Gamage said at a media briefing emphasizing that there was no hurry to chose the presidential candidate.

So far, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the National People's Power (NPP) alliance led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna have announced Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their candidates respectively.

However, MP Gamage observed that presidential candidates who have been nominated in advance to the polls have failed to win the elections and the 2015 presidential election bore testament to this.

The presidential election is expected to be held by November or December.

(Additional reporting by Damith Wickramasekara)