New alliance will be registered as ‘National Democratic Front’ - PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that they will form a new political alliance by the name of “National Democratic Front” which will be registered as a political party to contest the next general election.

“We contested as the United National Front. Now we will register a new alliance as a political party,” the UNP leader said.

He revealed this while addressing the victory rally of the United National Party (UNP) organised at the Galle Face Green in Colombo today (17).

Wickremesinghe said the new alliance will be called the ‘National Democratic Front’ and that their lawyers are currently preparing the final draft.

The Prime Minister said that when the UNP’s Working Committee meets on Friday he will present that proposal to the Working Committee and that he has no doubt everyone will support it.

“A massive alliance will be formed to establish democracy.  We will safeguard the country with that.”

Addressing the UNP supporters gathered at the rally, Wickremesinghe said that they were his strength during the ‘historic 51 days’, from his sacking to reinstatement as PM.   

The PM said that he bows his head and salutes each and everyone who fought for democracy.

“We faced democratic fire. We all controlled the democratic fire. We all extinguished that democratic fire,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that if anyone thought even for a moment that they have no power, at least now they must understand their power.

Wickremesinghe said that he remembered Adolf Hitler because he too came to power with a minority government. He said that if Hitler had lived through the end of the Second World War, he too would have told the allied nations that he only wants a general election.

He charged that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s minority government destabilized the Parliament. “Democracy was turned into chili powder.”

“Should they be in the Parliament or in the kitchen?”

The PM questioned as to why they took government power if they only wanted an election as they only needed to present a motion to the House seeking the dissolution of the Parliament.

“This was a massive conspiracy.”

Wickremesinghe said that his government will be asking all the political parties as to when they want the general election to be held.

He said that none of them have a two-thirds majority in the Parliament and that they will act according to what the parties representing the people say.

And now they are trying to espouse racism by claiming the country is going to be divided.

Speaking on behalf of the UNF, he said that they want reconciliation and a political solution and that they will work towards this.

Wickremesinghe conceded that his government does have shortcomings, but vowed to address them and invited the people to speak about their deficiencies.

He requested the public to give them a two-thirds majority power at the next general election to abolish the executive presidency once and for all.