UPDATE : Gota to receive 6.5 million votes through SLFP - SLPP alliance : Dayasiri

Update : The alliance between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will generate 6.5 million votes for presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said today (Oct 10).

Jayasekara made these remarks after the SLFP signed its first agreement with the SLPP at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo, to form an alliance between both parties.

The agreement would see both parties forming the"Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandhanaya" alliance, to contest next year's parliamentary election under the symbol of the Chair.

Two more agreements would be signed in near future with the SLPP leadership and presidential candidate Rajapaksa, Jayasekara said.

“We have embarked on a journey to protect the identity of our party and country and to ensure the victory of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa,” the SLFP General Secretary declared.

However, he insisted that the SLFP must always maintain its identity and develop the party, to retain the support of the public.

He observed that the alliance between both parties had been easily formed since both parties shared the same left-wing progressive ideology.

The SLPP had been formed by a breakaway group of the SLFP in 2016.

Jayasekara added that the agreement signed today will uphold SLFP leader President Maithripala Sirisena’s anti-narcotic and anti-corruption programmes.

SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa, speaking at the event said that the agreement will protect the identity of both parties. “No party will be victimised through this agreement,” he said.

Rajapaksa remarked that he had differed from his previous stance of not being willing to join forces with any party, after considering the well-being of the people.

(Pics by Indika Handuwala)

SLFP inks MoU to form alliance with SLPP

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) today (Oct 10) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to form an alliance between both parties a short while ago.

SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara and his SLPP counterpart Sagara Kariyawasam signed what would be the first of the three MoU's between both parties.

The signing took place at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo.

Among the conditions set out in the agreement would be that the SLFP should extend its support to the SLPP presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the upcoming poll on November 16, SLFP Acting Chairman Professor Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said.

The agreement would also see both parties forming an alliance by the name of "Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandhanaya", to contest next year's parliamentary election under the symbol of the Chair.

SLPP member Dallas Alahapperuma said that the leadership of the alliance would be shared by both parties while the post of the general secretary would be handed over to a member of the SLPP.