Two more contenders for UNP leadership

The battle for the topmost position in the UNP has taken a dramatic turn with former State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene and former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga tossing their hats in the ring.

Speaking at a meeting in Anuradhapura on Saturday, Wijewardene said that he had been requested to accept the party leadership.

Close on the heels of Wijewardene’s expression of interest, his former ministerial colleague Arjuna Ranatunga yesterday said he, too, was keen to be the UNP leader.

Ranatunga told reporters that if the UNP wanted him to lead the party he would accept it. He said that his name had been proposed at

the recent UNP Working Committee meeting together with the names of a few others.

Ranatunga said that he was willing to do anything to save the UNP.

Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has already offered to lead the UNP.

The UNP Working Committee meeting held last week to decide on a new leader, ended inconclusively.

A decision was to be taken on the post of the party leader and the vacant UNP National List post.

At the previous UNP Working Committee meeting it was decided that the UNP would continue with Ranil Wickremesinghe as its leader until a new leader was elected.