By Our Political Columnist United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will not be stepping down from the party following its unprecedented and humiliating defeat at last week’s general election. A group of party seniors met at the UNP headquarters, Sirikotha, on Friday (7) morning to discuss the party’s current situation following the outcome of the 2020 general election, and an appointment of a new leader has now been put on the backburner. Therefore, until a decision is reached on the new leader, Wickremesinghe will remain as the Party Leader. Among the seniors who met with Wickremesinghe were Party General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake, and former MPs Vajira Abeywardena, Ruwan Wijewardene, and Sagala Ratnayaka. Following the party’s defeat and his failure to secure his own seat in the Ninth Parliament, Wickremesinghe last Thursday (6) evening expressed his desire to step down from the party leadership. Kariyawasam, Karunanayake, and Wijewardena were tasked with analysing the outcome of the election and making proposals by this week on restructuring the party. A final decision on who the party would propose for the solitary National List allotment it secured – the only representation the party would have in the House – is to be made after the party seniors discuss the proposals presented by Kariyawasam, Karunanayake, and Wijewardena. However, UNP sources told The Sunday Morning that a final decision on the National List slot as well as the party leadership will be made prior to the convening of the ninth Parliament scheduled for 20 August. An initial analysis of the election results were discussed at Friday’s meeting and the members, while accepting that the UNP splinter group, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led by Sajith Premadasa, had taken a percentage of the UNP vote, had also recognised that a large portion of the UNP vote had shifted to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The Sinhala vote bank had been reduced by an estimated two million people following the presidential election, a senior UNP source said. It was also found that the SJB did not control the Sinhala vote bank either, with a large percentage of their votes having originated from the minorities. The UNP leadership had also discussed the need for a change in the party structure and leadership, similar to that seen post 1970.