United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing a meeting of the party district managers, said that the party has listened to the people of the country and was adapting to their needs. He stated that this election will see the UNP as the party with the largest number of new candidates. Explaining that the public has said they want to throw all 225 Members of Parliament into the Diyawanna Oya, the UNP has presented the voters with new faces to choose from. Wickremesinghe went on to say that the candidates put forth by the UNP was a healthy mix of professionals, youth, and experienced members, all of whom were dedicated to working towards the betterment of the country. Referring to the 2019 presidential election, he said that both Sajith Premadasa and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) candidate had suffered heavy defeats at the hands of an individual who was not part of the political system. However, the public has already lost faith in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and so they have lost hope in the entire system. Explaining that the UNP, the longest-serving political party in the country, has experienced both victory and defeat, he said they understand the necessity to adapt to the needs of the people. The UNP Leader explained that currently, the country is facing many problems, of which the only political party capable of addressing them is the UNP. He further added that while understanding the issues faced by the public, the party will put forth their solutions shortly. The UNP was founded on the principle of protecting the country, the Leader stated, and that once again it was the responsibility of the UNP to come forth and save the country from the problems that have arisen.