Lanka Speaker Jayasuriya poses challenge to Wickremesinghe for presidential polls

Sri Lanka's Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Tuesday announced his candidature for the presidential race, becoming the second leader within the ruling
Jayasuriya, 79, who played a key role in ending a political crisis last year,
"I will enter the contest with the intention of abolishing the executive presidency and not to enjoy that office," Jayasuriya said. "Since 1995, we have wanted to scrap the presidency, but failed."
In this backdrop the entry of Jayasuriya as the elder statesman has buoyed the civil society players who were instrumental in the 2015 electoral change when the incumbent Maithripala Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa against all odds