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SLFP wants executive presidency retained and Sirisena to contest
View(s):By our Political Editor
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) wants to retain the executive presidency and has decided that Maithripala Sirisena should be the party’s candidate at the 2020 presidential election. The unanimous decision came at a meeting of SLFP ministers just after last Tuesday’s weekly ministerial session. It was summoned by President Sirisena to brief them on his plans for 2017. He completes his second year in office today and will begin his third from tomorrow.
The main focus at the meeting, held at the Presidential Secretariat, was on the proposed new Constitution. A string of policy decisions for the SLFP were made and are now awaiting formal endorsement by the party’s Central Committee.It was decided that devolution of power should be only through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and there will be no merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces — a demand by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Though in the Opposition, this is the basis on which the TNA extended support to the Government.
The SLFP ministers have also decided that they will not be in favour of any new constitutional provision that requires a referendum. They would only favour those requiring a two thirds majority in Parliament.The immediate outcome of the SLFP policy decisions was the indefinite postponement of a debate in Parliament on a new Constitution. It was to be held for three days beginning tomorrow.
Minister Duminda Dissanayake, who is also the General Secretary of the SLFP, proposed that the existing provisions in the Constitution with regard to the presidency be retained. Pointing out that President Sirisena may sometimes not like it, he proposed that Mr. Sirisena be the next presidential candidate. But the President remained silent.
The abolition of the executive presidency was the magnet that attracted different political parties and civil society groups to campaign for ousting Mahinda Rajapaksa at the last presidential election. The late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera gave leadership to this campaign that saw Mr. Sirisena emerging victorious.