President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced during the “Ekwa Jayagamu” public rally in Matara on Sunday (30) that upcoming elections, including the Presidential, General, and Provincial Council elections are scheduled within this year and the next.
The United National Party (UNP) and a faction of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have initiated their election campaigns under the banner of ‘Ekwa Jayagamu’ (Victory Through Unity), starting from Matara.
The President said the Sri Lankan government anticipates finalizing discussions and reaching an agreement with private bondholders to restructure the country’s debt by next week.
Highlighting a significant development, Sri Lanka recently concluded a deal with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) to restructure debt owed to bilateral lenders, including India. Additionally, separate agreements with China for debt treatment have been signed.
Wickremesinghe noted that discussions with private bondholders have commenced following the agreements with bilateral creditors, with significant progress achieved on both fronts. He expressed confidence in concluding these discussions successfully by next week.
The rally saw the presence of Ministers Prasanna Ranatunga, Kanchana Wijesekera, Ali Sabry, Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara, Ramesh Pathirana, Douglas Devananda, North Western Province Governor Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, and President’s Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor on National Security Sagala Ratnayake.