UNP decides to form UNF govt.
Posted on February 12th, 2018

The UNP has decided to form a United National Front (UNF) government ending the coalition with the SLFP Maithri faction, party sources say.

The decision to form a UNF government was taken following discussions between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s official residence at Pajet Road in Colombo 07 on Sunday night, according to sources.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was also present at the talks between the President and the Prime Minister.

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Prime Minister Wickremesinghe informed the President that he had been asked by UNP and its allies to form its own government if there was no practical means to continue with the national unity government with the SLFP (Maithri faction).

In response to the Prime Minister’s statement, the President told him to prove that the UNF could muster a majority in Parliament and if so it could form a government of its own.

Following the meeting with the President, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe met UNF’s coalition members and representatives of other parties represented in Parliament on the same evening and decided to form a UNF government without the SLFP.

Sources said as per the provisions of the Section 43 (3) of the Constitution an MP who commands the trust of majority of MPs in Parliament should be appointed Prime Minister by the President.

“Even if we leave out MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, we have 107 seats in Parliament including those of the SLMC. We need only six more to prove Parliament majority,” a senior UNP MP said.

He said that during the Sunday meeting, the President had told the Prime Minister the SLFP MPs who were not willing to join the SLPP would join the UNF government within the next two days.

UNP MP Nalin Bandara said their party would submit a list of names of MPs who were willing to form the UNF government to the President on Thursday evening and the list would prove the UNF’s majority in the House.

The portfolios of the SLFP ministers joining the UNF government would not change as per an agreement between the President and the Prime Minister. However, the two leaders have agreed to effect a change with regard to the Foreign Minister post which was now under the UNP, sources said.

The TNA had expressed its willingness to support the UNF government but would not accept any ministerial portfolios, its parliament group leader R Sampanthan said.

9 Responses to “UNP decides to form UNF govt.”

  1. Dilrook Says:

    More disaster for the UNP! Ranil is trying to do what Dudley did in 1965 and paid a very heavy price for it in 1970. Not only UNP succumbed to one of the worst election defeats it ended the Senanayake clan.

    From a UNP point of view, it is best to move to the Opposition. This is now a toxic government.

  2. Ananda-USA Says:

    Then NO DECISION has been made by the President and the PM at their meeting to CONTINUE the Yamapalanaya UNCHANGED!

    If Sirisena has an IOTA of BRAIN CELLS, he will DITCH the UNP and Ranil, and EMBRACE the SLPP and MR, IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST!

    ……………………………..
    President denies discussing future direction of government with PM
    Mon, Feb 12, 2018, 08:24 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Feb 12, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has denied that he discussed the future of the unity government with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

    Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena have not discussed the future political affairs after the local government polls, the President’s Media Unit said in a statement. The announcement states that some media reports have been incorrect about such a meeting.

    Local media reported that the President and the Prime Minister agreed to continue to the unity government till 2020 during their meeting on Sunday.

    Notice issued by the President’s Media Unit –

    Various views have been expressed in certain media agreements said to have been made between Prime Minister Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after the Local Government Election.

    As there had been no decision or agreement on gaining control of local bodies or the future direction of the government, media reports to that effect are rejected.

  3. Ananda-USA Says:

    The PM can PROPOSE a UNF Govt, but ONLY the President has the power to DISPOSE!

    This AMOUNTS to the PM THREATENING and BLACKMAILING the President!

    If Sirisena has an IOTA of BRAIN CELLS, he will DITCH the UNP and Ranil, and EMBRACE the SLPP and MR, IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST!

    The Voters WILL BACK such a DECISION by the President!

  4. Ananda-USA Says:

    “Sources said as per the provisions of the Section 43 (3) of the Constitution an MP who commands the trust of majority of MPs in Parliament should be appointed Prime Minister by the President.”

    BUT, BUT, BUT DAMMIT! does “should be” in Section 43(3) of the Constitution amount to “must be”??

    After all, Sirisena himself, after his victory on Jan 8, 2015, ignored the sitting PM of the majority UPFA party and appointed as PM Ranil Wickramasinghe of the minority party the UNP which had only 46 MPs in Parliament!

    What is GOOD for the UNP GOOSE should APPLY to the SLPP GANDER as well!

  5. Ananda-USA Says:

    Dilrook,

    Ranil and the UNP big-wigs are DESPARATE. They want to escape PRISON for the Bond Scam and other MASSIVE CRIMES!

    They have to REMAIN in POWER and DO UNTO OTHERS …. BEFORE ….they themselves are DONE UNTO!

  6. Ananda-USA Says:

    Items 1 & 2 in the FOLLOWING news report directly CONTRADICTS what has been previously reported above.

    Items 3 drives a spike into TNA’s plans to get a Federal Constitution, and

    Item 4 drives a spike into our hopes of a Patriotic Govt to be formed immediately with a SLPP, SLFP, UPFA alliance.
    This however, may not be a bad thing, because a BAD ALLIANCE may be worse than NO ALLIANCE at all, especially if it means accepting a host of backstabbing SLFP-ers as ministers. Furthermore, with Sirisena as President, having a Parloamentary majority does not guarantee that the PM post and the Govt will be handed to a victorious SLPP, as we saw immediately after Jan 8, 2015.

    I quote:

    1. the President has confirmed the stance of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarians that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should resign from his post and informed the United National Party, which has a majority in the Sri Lankan parliament, to appoint a new Prime Minister from the party.

    2. In response to a proposal presented by the UNP to form a UNP government with some of the SLFP members, the President has said that he will not give ministerial portfolios to such SLFP members, a minister representing the SLFP told BBC Sinhala Service.

    3. If the UNP is to establish a new government with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the President’s stance is that the TNA will have to withdraw the idea of formulating a new constitution.

    4. President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking to BBC Sinhala service said on Sunday (February 11th) that he will not accept the post of Prime Minister and urged the government to call for a general election since the government has lost the confidence of the people.

    …………………………
    President, PM hold crucial discussions on future of the government
    Tue, Feb 13, 2018, 12:15 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Feb 12, Colombo: A crucial meeting between the President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is being held at the President’s official residence in Colombo to discuss the future of the unity government in the aftermath of the local government election results, reports from Colombo say.

    It has been reported that the President has confirmed the stance of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarians that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should resign from his post and informed the United National Party, which has a majority in the Sri Lankan parliament, to appoint a new Prime Minister from the party.

    The Prime Minister has said that he will not restructure UNP according to the wishes of the SLFP and such a reorganization should come from within the UNP.

    In response to a proposal presented by the UNP to form a UNP government with some of the SLFP members, the President has said that he will not give ministerial portfolios to such SLFP members, a minister representing the SLFP told BBC Sinhala Service.

    If the UNP is to establish a new government with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the President’s stance is that the TNA will have to withdraw the idea of formulating a new constitution.

    Demands within the party that Ranil Wickremesinghe should hand over the party leadership to Sajith Premadasa or Karu Jayasuriya have been emerging, according to the BBC Sinhala report.

    When Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was inquired by the BBC’s Sinhala service whether he has received an invitation to lead the party or accept the post of Prime Minister, the Spiker has replied in negative, saying that he has not received any such invitation yet.

    The Speaker also requested to ask the UNP about the matter since, he as the Speaker had left the party politics aside.

    Meanwhile, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking to BBC Sinhala service said on Sunday (February 11th) that he will not accept the post of Prime Minister and urged the government to call for a general election since the government has lost the confidence of the people.

  7. Dilrook Says:

    Yes; that explains Ranil’s desperation. But Sirisena has to sacrifice Ranil to save himself. He has proven he will sacrifice anyone for his success.

    Article 43(3) was different before 19A. Then it read, in the opinion of the president, the MP who commands trust of most…..

    Therefore, no violation of 43(3) by the president. Also, the parliamentary majority UPFA never challenged it. They could have easily passed a no confidence motion but they didn’t. It proved Ranil commanded the support of most.

    At least now, the JO should bring a no confidence motion against Ranil.

    But this is like the no confidence motion JO threatened to bring against Ranil about a month ago on the bond fraud. As I correctly predicted, it never came. It will not come.

  8. Ananda-USA Says:

    If you have been watching the News Channels, there is a beehive of ACTIVITY within the SLFP and UNP parts of the Yamapalanaya, ALL geared to AVOIDING stepping aside for the SLPP as the VOTERS want, and to form a CARETAKER Govt until a General Election can be held.

    So, lets look at the existing situation to UNDERSTAND WHY:

    1. MR has said he does not the post of PM offered by MS without the mandate of a New General Election

    2. UNP wants to create a UNP-ONLY government but is short of 7 MPs to get the required 50% majority in Parliament

    3. JVP has REFUSED to join a UNP-led or JO-led Govt

    4. MS has said he will not accept as Ministers any SLFP/UPFA individuals who join an ONLY-UNP-led Government

    5. The TNA with its16 MPs is remaining non-committal until requested by some major Party to be the kingmaker.

    The Party composition of MPs in the current Parliament is as follows:

    UNP 106
    JO 52
    UPFA/SLFP 43
    TNA 16
    JVP 6
    EPDP 1
    SLMC 1

    TOTAL 225

    Without ministerial portfolios no UPFA/SLFP-ers will join ANY Govt, because MS refuses to accept them as Ministers.

    So, the ONLY WAY the UNP can reach the required number of 113 MPs is to form an ALLIANCE with the TNA!

    However, that will be DEATH for the UNP in future Elections because Sinhala people will see that as the ULTIMATE TREACHERY and CULMINATION of Yamapalana efforts to Federalize Sri Lanka through a New Constitution.

    The JO cannot form a Govt with 113 MPs, because JO(52)+UPFA(43)+EPDP(1)+SLMC(1) seats add up to only 97 seats.

    That may be why SLPP/MR wants a New General Election to win a sufficient number of Parliamentary seats without accepting, even if were possible, the JVP and the TNA as allies.

  9. Ananda-USA Says:

    Meanwhile, the Instability of the Yamapalanaya post Local Govt Election has drawn the attention of the US and Indian Govts.

    It has been reported that the US and Indian Ambassadors have met with President Sirisena, and have ADVISED HIM to CONTINUE the Yamapalana Govt and its political program, NO DOUBT for the BENEFIT of their countries!!

    Now, it appears that post-election politics of Sri Lanka have been INTERNATIONALIZED!

    Also, it has been reported that Subramaniam Swamy, former Cabinet Minister of India, has RECOMMENDED that ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa be again allowed to become the President of Sri Lanka!

    We STABBED OURSELVES in the BELLY sometime ago and BLOCKED that particular route to SALVATION!

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