Talks on forming alliance fail SLFP and JO to contest LG polls separately

After talks between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Joint Opposition (JO), on contesting together, as an alliance, at the upcoming Local Government polls failed, the two have decided to go their separate ways, SLFP Central Committee Member, Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said.

He added that they would not be contesting together. He further said that the SLFP intended to join several other parties and contest as an alliance. Jayasekera said that the SLFP would contest alone in certain areas while contesting in an alliance in certain other areas.
A final decision regarding whether they would contest as the United People’s Freedom Alliance, under the betel leaf symbol, or as the SLFP, under the hand symbol, would be taken tomorrow (5) at a meeting involving senior SLFP members and President Maithripala Sirisena.

Meanwhile, the SLFP has appointed 20 new electorate organizers. They have been appointed to the Districts of Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Gampaha, Colombo, Galle, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Puttalam, Digamadulla and Batticaloa.
The appointment letters had been given, at the President’s official residence, by President Sirisena.
Elsewhere, it was reported that the alliance between the JO and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will hand over their nominations under the Party symbol, the flower bud, on 6 December.

Accordingly, around 20 odd political parties and independent groups forming the new alliance will take part in establishing the alliance within this week. Informed sources noted that once the agreements are signed between the stakeholders, the nominations will be handed over for the Local Government elections. In addition to this, the alliance’s first public rally will commence today (4) with the presence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Badulla. Furthermore, the Election Commission noted that the notification calling for nominations for 248 Local Government bodies will be called for today, pending the election. Accepting nominations will commence on 18 December and continue until 21 December.