Supporting Fonseka to abolish executive presidency: Ranil

Sri Lanka's main opposition party is supporting the candidature of Sarath Fonseka in order to abolish executive presidency in the country, United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today said, as he hoped to be the prime minister if the former general wins.

"I have functioned before as executive prime minister in an Executive Cabinet and I hope to do so again," former prime minister said this describing his role in the event of Fonseka winning the January 26 presidential elections.

Wickremesinghe talked about three main issues on which he stood to gain if the former General were to be elected as the next president of Sri Lanka in the presidential elections to be held on January 26.  

"The first would be to establish democracy. Second, to install a parliamentary system of government, which will have a majority of United National Party MPs. Third, I hope to function as executive prime minister," the Sunday Leader quoted Wickremesinghe as saying.

He was also asked as to why his United National Party for the first time in its entire history has fielded a presidential candidate outside the party.

Wickremesinghe responded, "We have not fielded someone outside the UNP. We are merely supporting General Sarath Fonseka, in order to abolish the executive presidency, as the (Marxist) JVP are doing, despite a whole lot of ideological differences with the UNP."