A majority of the United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians claim that the political alliance under the name of Democratic National Front, which is being formed by Minister Rajitha Senaratne with the blessings of UNP Leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, would result in the dissolution of the UNP as a political force.

A document purported to be issued by the US State Department confirming that it has approved Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s request to relinquish his citizenship has been widely distributed on social media this week, leading it to becoming a hot topic and queries if it is in fact an original or fake document. 

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s lawyers and the Sinhala - Buddhist ‘National Organizations Collective’ has commenced a well planned

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz has sent an urgent letter to President Maithripala Sirisena seeking his intervention to get the Cabinet of Ministers to approve the proposed US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact.

Rumours are rife that wife of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Shiranthi Rajapaksa is one among five possible presidential candidates of the SLPP, weekly Sinhala Newspaper Anidda reports. According to the report, the names are being kept under wraps despite being widely discussed among party members. 

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule notes that while there is legislation in place to combat hate speech, especially in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act of 2007, the legislation is not applied with an even hand.

Former President, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and his loyalists since 2015 have been looking at ways to return to power and explore ways of sustaining that power without a time limit, a political analyst said.

Leaders of the Joint Opposition have decided to boycott the meeting today (26) which was to be held at Mahinda’s Rajapaksa’s home on Wijerama Mawatha where they were to sign agreement with other joint opposition parties.

Secretary of the SLPP Sagara Kariyawasam had invited the other party leaders. However, following a lengthy discussion yesterday evening the JO has decided to not attend the event where the agreement was to be signed.

According to JO leaders, the decision was made in opposition to the SLPP deciding to sign agreements with individual parties and not forming a broad coalition. As a result, eight parties including the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, Jathika Nidahas Peramuna, Lanka Samasamaja Party, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Sri Lanka Communist Party, Sri Lanka Mahajana Party and the Democratic Leftists Party has decided to boycott the event.

Meanwhile, Former Minister H.L.M Athaulla and Prabha Ganesan have decided to skip the event as well.

Basil on a lone mission without Wimal and Udaya!

Meanwhile, the SLPP and other parties have commenced discussions to initiate a long term plan for future elections. Accordingly, the EPDP, Sri Lanka Communist Party have held several discussions yesterday at the SLPP head office.

The policy framework will seek to put into action proposed by the SLPP and other supporting parties through the 26 Specialist committee and “Gama Samaga Pilisandarak” programme in villages. It has been agreed that other parties would present their proposals in writing and name their representatives for the committees.

They have also decided to focus on agreements against the country, privatization of public property and other decisions adverse to the country.

The EPDP was represented by Douglas Devnanda and the Communist Party was represented by D.E.W Gunasekara while the SLPP was represented by the SLPP founder Basil Rajapaksa, Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and a number of other party stalwarts.