Tensions in the UNP are at an all time high, with the election petition filed by UNP candidate Krishantha Pushpakumara alleging that the preferential votes in the Galle District must be re-counted. He filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking for leave to proceed for a re-count.
The respondents are the secretary of UNP, Galle candidate Gayantha Karunathilaka, and Manusha Nanayakkara.

A candidate who contested from the UNP during the last general elections told Lakbimanews that the defeated candidate Vajira Abeywardana had petitioned the SC.

He further said that it was suspicious that an election petition had been filed by Krishantha Pushpakumara, who earlier accepted his election defeat.

“When the preferential votes were counted, Krishantha Pushpakumara had a scrap of paper which mentioned the number of votes obtained by candidates. According to that list Manusha had topped the list, Gayantha was second while Vajira was third. As they did not trust Vajira, Krishantha told Manusha to keep an eye on the votes,” he said.

He says that it is also surprising that Krishantha was calling for a re-count.
It has now been revealed that Vajira Abeywardana, who accepted his defeat at the polls, was now saying that the election was rigged and was seeking affidavits from representatives of polling stations saying that the votes had been rigged. (Read More)

Government Member of Parliament and former UNP member Navin Dissanayake, in a live interview with Daily Mirror online, questioned the stance taken by the UNP working committee so as not to remove UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe despite having the authority to do so.

Dissanayake noted that the internal democratic structure of the party allows anybody to get up in the working committee and ask Mr. Wickremesinghe to step down and question him  as to why the current working committee is not exercising that right.“Technically if you look at the working committee, they can very well ask Mr. Wickremesinghe to leave. The fact that they have not done  raises a question mark as to how far the working committee will want  him to leave.(Read More)

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday withheld a private member’s motion in Parliament brought by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake yesterday, seeking to prevent the President and the Prime Minister from holding any Cabinet portfolio. The motion was opposed by government MPs.

Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardane was the first to oppose the motion being taken up for debate, saying ‘the conduct of the President’ could not be discussed or debated in Parliament according to  Standing Order 78.

Countering Mr. Gunawardane’s argument, DNA parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake pointed out the motion did not seek to discuss the conduct of the President at all.

“We intend to discuss this as a policy matter. It does not affect the conduct of the President. On earlier occasions too, we have debated the executive presidency in the House,”   he said. (Read More)

The UNP Reforms Committee has proposed that the party leader should no longer have the authority to appoint all members of the party Working Committee.

Media Spokesman of the UNP, Gayantha Karunathillake MP, addressing a news conference in Colombo, said that the Reforms Committee headed by Joseph Michael Perera MP, had suggested that the number of Working Committee members be reduced from 99 to 86 and only 20 of them be appointed by the leader. The other 66 members, it had been proposed, should include a representative from each district and the various organisations within the party. (Read more)

UNP Puttalam district Member of Parliament (MP) Palitha Range Bandara had been asked to appear before the party disciplinary committee this week to make a statement over the attack on him allegedly by another UNP member.

The UNP MP told Daily Mirror Online that he had received a letter from the party asking him to appear before the UNP disciplinary committee on Saturday 12 June after he had complained to the party over the assault on him prior to the recent general elections. (Read More)

KANDY - The United National Party (UNP) one of the oldest political parties in Sri Lanka could boast of a celebrated history and therefore it should iron out internal differences and continue to serve the country, the Most Ven. Mahanayaka of Malwatta Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero told the UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday (5).

Wickremesinghe called on the prelate in the company of the UNP General Secretary JVP Tissa Attanayake and MPs Wijedasa Rajapaksa and Lakshman Kiriella. (Read More)

It looks as if the UNP is down in the dumps and might not be able to raise its head, with its members disagreeing on every count. Consecutive defeats in elections and the stubbornness of some of its MPs have made the UNP realize that reforms are a must. Even on this count there seems to be disagreement between the members with some of them wholeheartedly agreeing while others are in total disagreement. With several candidates bidding for party leadership, each ‘section’ makes sure that their versions of an incident leaks into the media and each side assures that their version is true.

For example last week there were media reports which stated that the majority of the Provincial Council members rejected the proposal to elect a party leader through a secret ballot in the absence of consensus during a meeting between them and a committee headed by Joseph Michael Perera, who is in charge of the committee to recommend changes to the UNP constitution. But these reports are now being refuted by a majority of the UNP PCs and MPs. They added that there has been a misinterpretation of what actually took place on June 1st.
Southern provincial councillor Maithree Gunarathne told LAKBIMAnEWS that the councillors who gathered at Sirikotha agreed to appoint a committee comprising parliamentarians, provincial Councillors,Chairmen, opposition leader of local councils and organizers of electorates who have voting rights to elect a leader. (Read More)

Close on the heels of the Court of Appeal dismissing a UNP move to expel Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councillor Jayatilleke Podinilame for supporting President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s candidature at the January 26 presidential election, the UPFA has rewarded the veteran politician.

He has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Sabaragamuwa PC in place of Ranjith Bandara, who succeeded Athula Kumara Rahubedde as Chairman of the Council.

Interestingly, the UPFA proposed Podinilame for the post on May 20, five

days before the Court of Appeal declared that his expulsion from the UNP was invalid. The Court declared that the judgment would not prevent the UNP from initiating fresh disciplinary action against the rebel.

Responding to a query by The Island, an official at the Sabaragamuwa PC said that the UNP PC group had not opposed the UPFA move. He was proposed by Minister D. M. Karunapala and endorsed by Bhanu Munipriya.(Read More)

UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake yesterday set the stage for another controversy asking the party leadership to stop the party reforms.  

Addressing the meeting which was organized by the Kotte UNP Bala Mandala to felicitate Provincial Council Member Shiral Lakthilaka last evening Mr. Karunanayake said there was no need for selecting suitable persons through a ballot but called for selecting them on the seniority basis.

“Put the party reforms aside,” he told reforms committee member UNP MP Kabir Hashim who was also present at the meeting.He also called for the setting up of council of leaders to take care of the party. (Read More)