UNP mum on alleged deal with govt.

… says Ranil capable of resolving crisis

UNP Chairman and former Minister Vaijira Abeywardena, contacted for comment on social media reports that UNP and government had cut a deal to appoint UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, neither confirmed nor denied them.

Abeywardena only said such power sharing arrangements had been made in other countries during crises. He cited Lebanon and Russia as examples. “When Russia was facing the crisis of disintegrating, then Russian President Boris Yeltsin brought in his intelligence head Vladimir Putin as the prime minister and then left office after making the latter the president of that country.

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is far worse than what Russia faced,” Abeywardena said.

Wickremesinghe was highly capable and deserved to be given an opportunity to try to resolve the present crisis, Abeywardene said. “All other parties are asking people to elect them to solve the country’s problems. But, the UNP thinks differently. Ranil should be given two months as prime minister to accomplish that task,” he said.