Wickremesinghe pledges more party reforms

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, under pressure to resign from his position and the UNP leadership, today pledged for reforms in the party so that its second run could play a decisive role in the island nation's oldest political party.

Wickremesinghe, 68 has led the United National Party (UNP) continuously since 1994 and faced many revolts for his ouster.

In February, he was asked to resign as the prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena. Last week he comfortably defeated a no-trust motion moved by the Joint Opposition against him.

Wickremesinghe, who leads a national unity government in alliance with Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), received 122 votes against the motion while 76 favoured the motion to oust him.

"We have set in the reform programme and I will introduce more reforms so that the party's second level can play a decisive role in the party affairs," Wickremesinghe told addressing his party's May Day celebrations held here today.

"We must work as one team to ensure UNP's victory," the premier said.

Since the defeat of the UNP to the new political party of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in the local election held in February, pressure has mounted on Wickremesinghe to step down and make way for a new leadership.

A reform committee appointed by him had proposed elections for all office bearers. However, senior positions have been filled with Wickremesinghe loyalists defying the proposal for internal elections.

Junior members of the party accused Wickremesinghe of going back on the pledges made.

At the gathering several speakers endorsed Wickremesinghe to be the UNP runner at the next presidential election to be held in 2020.

Wickremesinghe had unsuccessfully contested two previous presidential polls in 1999 and 2005.