Ahead of Sept 21 presidential polls, Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe sacks 4 junior ministers

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday sacked four junior ministers from his government in what is being seen as a purge of the Rajapaksa backers in the run-up to the September 21 presidential elections.

A statement from the president’s office said that the decision was made under the authority granted to him by Article 47 (3) of the Constitution.

The sacked ministers are State Minister of Ports and Aviation Services Premalal Jayasekara, State Minister of Power and Energy Indika Anuruddha, State Minister of Agriculture Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, and State Minister of Highways Siripala Gamlath.

The deposed ministers had announced their support for Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) Presidential Candidate Namal Rajapaksa -the heir to the powerful Rajapaksa dynasty - who is vying to become the president.

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The Rajapaksas withdrew support for Wickremesinghe, 75, who is competing as an independent candidate despite being the leader of the grand old party, the United National Party.

The decision to sack the ministers came as a grand coalition – People’s United Freedom Alliance – was formed under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

It comprises over 25 political parties that gathered to consolidate support for Wickremesinghe in the presidential election.

Several ministers and politicians from the SLPP, who are backing Wickremesinghe, were also present at the party’s launch ceremony.

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“We have formed this alliance to contest the parliamentary election that will be coming after the presidential election,”  Gunawardena said.

Wickremesinghe, who took over the presidency for the balance term of the ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, was installed as the stop-gap president by the majority vote in parliament by the SLPP.

The younger members of the SLPP, who helped Wickremesinghe’s work in reviving the bankrupt economy, decided to back the president in helping the country overcome the economic crisis.

The SLPP has vowed to take disciplinary action against the members for backing Wickremesinghe over Rajapaksa’s candidacy.