UNP backbenchers say party will form single-party Govt.

Following a meeting held with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning, a group of United National Party (UNP) backbenchers in Parliament have stated that the party would form a UNP government.

If this were to happen, it would effectively end the coalition between Premier Wickremesinghe's UNP and President Maithripala Sirisena's SLFP. Both parties suffered a humiliating defeat at Saturday's Local Government Election to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).  

The PM held a meeting with a group of UNP backbenchers this morning to obtain their views on how to proceed after the party's defeat at the local polls. The UNP MPs have proposed internal changes to the party and have also urged Mr Wickremesinghe to form a single party government. 

The UNP currently has 106 MPs in Parliament including Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. They would need to muster the support of at least seven MPs from outside the party in order to form a government with a simple majority 113 MPs. 

 

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