UNP to ride Elephant for General Election

The main Opposition United National Party (UNP) is to contest the upcoming General Elections under it party symbol, the Elephant, Gayantha Karunatilleke told Adaderana a short while ago.

This decision was reached at the Working Committee meeting held this evening.

Earlier there was speculation as to what symbol the UNP would opt to contest under at the General Elections scheduled to be held on April 8 this year.

For the January 26 Presidential poll, the UNP opted for the Swan symbol of the New Democratic Front and fielded General (Retired) Sarath Fonseka as their consensus candidate, also supported by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Democratic People’s Front and a host of other parties.

However, following General Fonseka’s defeat the coalition parties were undecided whether to carry on with the alliance. The UNP erlier had formed an alliance with several parties under the name the United National Front (UNF).

The JVP which was not a partner of the UNF and Mangala Samaraweera’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana) Wing or Ape Jathika Peramuna (AJP) convinced the UNP to support the consensus candidate General Fonseka without fielding another candidate.

Today the UNP has decided to go under its traditional Elephant symbol.