COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe failed on Monday (Jul 29) to secure the backing of the biggest political party in parliament for his re-election bid, posing a major challenge to his prospects in the Sep 21 vote.
Nearly 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million population is eligible to cast their ballots in the vote which is crucial to determine the future of reforms in the South Asian island nation weathering its worst financial crisis in decades.
But with just one seat in parliament, he needs the support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which holds a parliamentary majority and counts former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother as key members, to be a stronger contender.
“The politburo decided by a significant majority that Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will present a candidate under the SLPP party symbol,” SLPP General Secretary Salaga Kariyawasam told reporters after the party’s politburo meeting.
There was no immediate comment from Wickremesinghe or his office in response to the SLPP decision.
Although the SLPP decision is a blow to Wickremesinghe, it does not take him out of the race entirely as he is contesting as an independent candidate and a breakaway faction of the SLPP and other opposition parties could end up supporting him.
Wickremesinghe also set the groundwork for Sri Lanka to start debt restructuring talks with its official creditors and bondholders.
But the pain from the financial fallout is far from over. Under the IMF programme, Sri Lanka still has to increase tax revenue, fix loss-making state companies and finalise a US$12.5 billion debt rework with bondholders.
“People are silently waiting to give their decision on election day,” said political scientist Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda.
