Wickremasinghe elected as leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition UNP, Premadasa deputy

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has been elected as the leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) at an election held at the party headquarters Sirikotha today.
Wickremasinghe emerged victorious over his challenger former Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya with a majority of 48 votes. Wickremasinghe had received 72 votes while Jayasuriya had polled 24 votes. Sajith Premadasa was elected to the post of deputy leader of the crisis-ridden party by a majority of eight votes defeating former National Organizer Ravi Karunanayaka. Premadasa polled 52 votes while Karunanayaka received 44 votes. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader of the Eastern provincial Council Daya Gamage was elected as the party's national organizer after polling 56 votes defeating member of the reformist group parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara who had received 40 votes. A secret ballot of the Working Committee was taken to elect the UNP leader and several other office bearers for 2012. The Working Committee which met on Sunday at Sirikotha elected Gamini Jayawickrama Perera as its chairman and Joseph Michael Perera was as the assistant leader without a contest.