SLFP warns President over PM post after polls

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has warned President Maithripala Sirisena over the appointment of a new Prime Minister if the SLFP wins the August 17 Parliament elections.

SLFP spokesman and former Minister Dilan Perera said that the President?expects the SLFP to win the election under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket.

He said that if the SLFP and UPFA win the election then former President Mahinda Rajapaksa must be appointed the new Prime Minister.

Perera said that if the President refuses to appoint Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister, then the UPFA alliance members will do what must be done to ensure Rajapaksa gets the post.

“I am also a lawyer. We know, even under the 19th Amendment to the constitution, the person who has the support of a majority of the members in Parliament must be appointed as Prime Minister,” he said.

He said that if the UPFA gets 113 seats in Parliament then there is no doubt that the next Prime Minister will be Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“No one can stop Mahinda Rajapaksa from becoming Prime Minister. Only the people can do that,” he asserted.

Perera said that the President had recently accepted that there is majority support for Rajapaksa in the SLFP and as someone who accepts democracy he must appoint Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister if the UPFA wins the election. (Colombo Gazette)