• Not enough time to field a candidate, will announce who we support; Amaraweera
• Sirisena led fr. declare for Wijeyadasa

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction, led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, is to announce which Presidential candidate they will support on 31 July.

Speaking to the media, SLFP Senior Vice President Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that they (SLFP) don't have enough time to field a presidential candidate, so they would support a visionary and experienced candidate who is recognised by the people. "The Presidential Election will be won by the candidate supported by the SLFP-led alliance. We can't field a candidate as there isn’t sufficient time and former SLFP Chairman (Maithripala Sirisena) destroyed the party."

Despite various claims concerning the SLFP, he said that the Party is not divided, and the de Silva-led group is representing the SLFP. "There is only one SLFP and we represent it. We also have the Party headquarters in our hands. Certain individuals have been claiming that it is they who represent the SLFP, but the real SLFP is with us. The decisions regarding the Presidential Election will be made by the SLFP's Central Committee unlike previous events where individuals made such crucial decisions."

Considering a complaint filed by former President and SLFP Chairperson Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the Colombo District Court recently issued an injunction preventing former President incumbent Opposition MP Maithripala Sirisena from functioning as the SLFP Chairperson. The SLFP subsequently split into two factions led by Sirisena and de Silva, respectively.

Of them, the de Silva-led faction is likely to support incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Presidential Election, while the Sirisena-led faction has already declared their support to incumbent Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, who last week declared his intention to contest the Presidential Election.