UNP MP and Deputy Leader, who earlier strongly backed Ranil Wickremesinghe’s candidature to Executive Presidency, has now taken a step back, indicating he will support UNP Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya or Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga if one of them contests as the common candidate at the upcoming Presidential Election.

This statement comes just a few days after Premadasa attended the protest rally against Executive Presidency organized by the common opposition. Asian Mirror exclusively reported that Premadasa decided to take part in the rally at the eleventh hour, at the insistence of UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

In an interesting turn of events, Premadasa has said that he will continue to support the party’s decision when it comes to the presidential candidate of the party. This is in stark contrast to the statements made by him in the recent past. Premadasa vociferously claimed that the UNP should never abandon the party colour or its traditional symbol in its quest for a common candidate or a common opposition.

“I feel that a better outcome can be obtained if the UNP decides to work in collaboration with the other opposition parties during the Presidential Election”, the controversial Parliamentarian told BBC Sandeshaya today.

However, Premadasa maintained that the UNP has already decided its Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Presidential Election candidate for the party.

“According to my knowledge, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the party’s Presidential candidate and the decision has been endorsed by the party”, Premadasa said.

However, The Nation newspaper last week reported that Premadasa’s move to disclose the name of party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the presidential candidate of the party had irked members of the Working Committee. Speaking to the newspaper, a member of the committee said Premadasa’s statements had come as a surprise to many members of the UNP WC as one needs approval from the Working Committee before announcing the name of the presidential candidate.