Pivithuru Hela Urumaya General Secretary Udaya Gammanpila revealed yesterday that the joint opposition "common candidate" will be unveiled in 2019.

Speaking to the media, he said that constitutionally, the next presidential election has to be called in September 2019. Once the election has been called, they will unveil the candidate, he added.

Gammanpila said that this candidate will attract the interest not of only the country but the whole world.

There are moves to bring forward former Defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to politics from the Joint Opposition. Meanwhile, some SLFP members are also making an attempt to bring him to politics from the SLFP. However, former president Chandrika Kumaranatunga has on earlier occasions warned that she will leave the SLFP in such an event.

Gammanpila stated that Maithripala Sirisena will most likely contest the next presidential election and so will Ranil Wickremesinghe. Since both are responsible for the misdeeds of the present government, the people will need an alternative, he added.