UNPers Decided to Support PM Ranil  

Members of the United National Party (UNP), who met at Sirikotha yesterday (18), had decided to support Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the basis that changes would be made to the party leadership within a month, official UNP sources said.

Informed sources said that while the majority of the UNP members were present, several integral members of its leadership, including Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasuriya, Sajith Premadasa and Sagala Ratnayake, were not present at the meeting.

According to the sources, the members had decided to stand by the party at this time of the hour amidst speculations of crossovers. “The need of the hour is to stand by the party and that was what the members agreed upon,” a senior Minister said.  In the meantime a second meeting of the UNP MPs was also scheduled to be held by yesterday evening at Temple Trees. The UNP Parliamentary group was to sign an agreement to stand by Wickremesinghe during this politically crucial time period.