However, it was decided to appoint Sajith Premadasa as the Leader of the coalition and grant him the Prime Ministerial candidacy of the coalition. He will also have the power to steer the election campaign.
Harin's calculations misfire
Meanwhile, although MP Harin Fernando had stated that around 35 Working Committee members would boycott the Working Committee meeting, including Sajith Premadasa, only 16 of them failed to participate, said the UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.
The time duration of the UNP Working Committee lapsed on December 31st, the appointing of new members to the Working Committee was scheduled to take place at 3.00 pm under the patronage of Ranil Wickremesinghe at Sirikotha, UNP Headquarters.
The meeting was convened to decide on the party leadership and the future course of action of the party.
Despite claims that many would not attend, Mangala Samaraweera and Malik Samarawickrama, who supported Sajith during the Presidential election, had also attended the meeting.
