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Saturday, 30 July 2011

Sri Lanka opposition leader cuts short his visit to UK amid party crisis

Amid the growing leadership crisis in Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party, its leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has decided to return home early from his visit to the UK.


UNP parliamentarian John Amaratunga told media today that Wickremasinghe had decided to return to the country a day earlier, on Wednesday, August 3.

Wickremasinghe was in London to take part in the 57th session of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which concluded last Thursday. During his visit Wickremasinghe met several British ministers and other government officials.

While the leader was in London, the co-deputy leader Sajith Premadasa has asked the acting leader Karu Jayasuriya to assume the leadership of the party. Jayasuriya has expressed his willingness to step into the leadership role. However, under the constitution of the party, all leading officials are to be elected by members' vote.

The reformists in the party blame the present leadership for the party's consecutive loss at every election held since 2001.



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