Sri Lanka Labour Party candidates resign, support UPFA

Priyanka KURUGALA and Kamal SIRIWARDHANA

All Sri Lanka Labour Party candidates resigned yesterday to support the UPFA under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka Labour Party Leader A. S. P. Liyanage told a press briefing at Nippon Hotel, Colombo yesterday that a survey carried out by his party revealed the UPFA will get 65 to 70 percent votes to establish a strong Parliament.

The 30-year-old war ended under the President’s leadership and now is the time to accelerate country’s development, he said. “We are the first party to pull out of the contest by supporting the UPFA to obtain a two thirds majority,” he said.

Liyanage said he had polled about 14,000 votes as a presidential candidate and wanted his supporters to vote for the UPFA.

Gampaha district group leader Nimal Weeratunga said his team was supporting the candidature of Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa to bring rapid development to the Gampaha district.