"For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President. Samagi Jana Balawegaya and our alliance and our opposition partners will work hard towards making Dullas Alahapperuma victorious," tweeted Sajith Premadasa.
It is interesting to note that the main opposition leader Premadasa earlier said that he is set to contest the presidential elections.
Just two hours before the above tweet, the opposition leader had tweeted, "On my way to Parliament to take a crucial step. I want the people of 🇱🇰 to know that I will take the correct decision at the appropriate time to protect my motherland’s national interest and the rights of all my fellow Sri Lankan peoplee.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is now the acting president is among those who are in the race for the post of the President to be held on July 20 in which 225 members of the House are eligible to vote and participate in the secret ballot.
Who is Dullas Alahapperuma?
Dullas Alahapperuma is a senior lawmaker from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and a former journalist. He was a Cabinet minister in the previous Rajapaksa government.
Sri Lanka Presidential polls
The Sri Lankan Parliament announced that the nominations for the Presidential elections will be held on Tuesday and the new President of Sri Lanka will be elected on July 20.
