The United National Party’s Political Council has decided to appoint former deputy General Secretary Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam as the new General Secretary and former General Secretary Minister Kabir Hashim as the new Chairman of the party.
Minister Navin Dissanayake was appointed as the National Organizer of the party while State Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva was elected as the Treasurer.
State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene was appointed the Deputy General Secretary and State Minister Ajith P. Perera as the Trade Union Secretary.
These appointments were made on the preferences of the Political Advisory Board.
Minister Sajith Premadasa was reappointed as the Deputy Leader while Ravi Karunanayake will continue as Assistant Leader on the unanimous decision of the Political Council.
These nominations for office bearers will be presented to the party’s working committee for approval when it meets at 10 am today at Sirikotha. Appointments to other party posts will be made at the Working Committee meeting.
The Political Advisory Board met at Temple Trees under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for over two hours yesterday to decide on the appointments.
Members of the Political Bureau Sajith Premadasa, Ravi Karunanayake, Naveen Dissanayake, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Mangala Samaraweera, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Gayantha Karunathilaka, Ruwan Wijewardene, Ajith P Perera, JC Alawathuwala, Nalin Bandara and Asoka Priyantha Ministers. Harin Fernando and Eran Wickramaratne were absent as they are out of the country.
Before the Political Advisory Board meeting, a meeting was held between the governing party backbenchers and the Prime Minister yesterday morning.
The backbench MPs have stressed that the appointments should be made according to the recommendation of the Ruwan Wijewardene Committee to have new faces for the posts of the party.
Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman said that the backbenchers received a positive response to their request from the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the party reforms of the UNP are expected to be finalized by April 30.
