Ranil seeking majority support for leadership council

• All UNP MPs have been asked to be present at today’s meeting

By Yohan Perera   

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is hoping to seek majority support -- at the parliamentary group meeting, which is to be held at Sirikotha today -- for the proposed leadership council to lead the party.   

The proposal to set up a leadership council comprising Mr. Wickremesinghe, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was proposed at the previous parliamentary group meeting on January 9, 2020.   
According to party sources, some members of the party were of the opinion that a leadership council comprising of Mr. Wickremesinghe, Mr. Premadasa and Mr. Jayasuriya could win back the Buddhist vote, votes of the middle-class, the business community and the rural voters .   
Sources also revealed that Mr. Wickremesinghe was due to arrive in the country from his private visit to Singapore this morning while Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilleke had informed all UNP MPs to attend today’s meeting.