UNP delegation meets President

21 March 2018 11:57 pm

A top-level UNP delegation, led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is reported to have had a closed-door meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday and discussed the political circumstances to be triggered by the No-confidence Motion.

According to political sources, the UNP had tried to find a way out of the current crisis situation. The President, at this moment, sounded concerned about the future of the Ministers of his party.

The President is reported to have given a patient hearing to the UNP. However, he did not commit anything at this juncture.

The Joint Opposition or the UPFA faction led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the No-confidence Motion to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. It also contained the signatures of four Ministers representing the UPFA in the government.

If the motion is won with a majority of votes, the Prime Minister has to step down.

Currently, the UNP has 106 seats in Parliament whereas the SLFP-led UPFA has only 95 members. Therefore, the UPFA has to muster the support of some UNPers or other parties in the Opposition to win the motion. (Kelum Bandara)