UPFA asks RW to form a national govt. if he’s serious about consensus

If Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe is serious about consensus, he must seek the formation of a national government, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) said.UPFA general secretary and former MP Thilanga Sumathipala said as long as Wickremesinghe was not looking out for the government or looking to save his own positions, he could potentially obtain the support of other parties on some matters of significance.

“I don’t think anyone would oppose such a proposal,” said Sumathipala. “However, any areas that could not be agreed with would be opposed,” he said.

The UPFA, composed primarily of ex-President Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), once led a series of powerful ruling coalitions since the early 2000s until it became politically irrelevant following the mass exodus of SLFP members to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in the late 2010s.

President Wickremesinghe has been calling for multiparty support for his reform agenda since he took over in July 2022, but so far, save for a handful of crossovers or hints of pending crossovers, the opposition has largely been giving him the cold shoulder.

However, there has been some speculation that with Sri Lanka’s macro-economy stabilizing since Wickremesinghe took over, future crossovers are likely to occur, especially in the event an early presidential election is called. (EconomyNext)