Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the next presidential election as a non-party candidate in order to take the country away from its perilous situation, former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake said.
He described Wickremesinghe as a person well-armed with political experience and knowledge.
No one came forward to take up the challenge when the country was at its worst economic crisis 16 months ago, but now several presidential candidates are saying various things, he said in response to a question raised by a journalist.
After accepting that challenge, Wickremesinghe launched and shown success in his programme to rebuild the country with majority support of parliament, said Karunanayake.
Further, the UNP embarked on a new journey on 01 January to support the president after rectifying its mistakes and regaining its status, he said.
With new faces and ample of experience, the party is now working in realization of public confidence and finding solutions to grave national issues with the support of other parties, he added.
