17 January 2020 12:01 am
By Yohan Perera
UNP Parliamentary Group meeting which was held yesterday at its Headquarters Sirikotha ended up abruptly without a decision as to who would become the next leader of the party.
Informed sources said some members wanted a vote to decide on the leadership but several including Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Vajira Abeywardena, General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Sagala Ratnayake had staged a walkout opposing the vote.
After those who remained had conducted an unofficial vote where majority had wanted Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa as the leader.
MP Harsha De Silva in his twitter message said the meeting ended abruptly as majority asked for a leadership vote. “General Secretary and others went out of the meeting while others who remained and conducted a vote to make Sajith Premadasa the leader. All 52 members present had voted in favour of Mr Premadasa,” he said in his tweet.
Meanwhile UNP National Organiser Navin Dissanayake and General Secretary Kariyawasam said Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Mr Premadasa will meet next week to come to a final decision.