Mahinda Rajapaksa for prime minister?

COLOMBO (News 1st) - President of the SLFP Youth Front, Shantha Bandara expressed his thoughts on the presidential candidate in the upcoming elections. UPFA MP, Shantha Bandara noted that as a party, the SLFP is planning on re-presenting President Maithripala Sirisena as the presidential candidate. He added that they intend to put forward a presidential candidate, not as a single force, but as a comprehensive and progressive alliance. He further added that they hope to elect President Maithripala Sirisena as the next president of the country and Mahinda Rajapaksa as the next prime minister in order to ensure that the country progresses. He added that they have not come to a decision under which party their candidate would contest and as long as it's for the well being of the country, symbols or political differences were irrelevant. Meanwhile, a journalist asked Vasudeva Nanayakkara the Leader Democratic Left Front regarding a statement made by the MP Welgama. "MP Welgama said that he is not only suitable to be the leader of Kalutara, but he is also ready to be the leader of all of Sri Lanka, and that he is the successor of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party after President Maithripala Sirisena." MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara noted that these kinds of people are called pretenders and pretenders have the disposition to emerge from time to time. He responded that the true leader will come from the hearts of the people. He added that although their decision on the presidential candidate has not been finalized they wish him to be Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He went on to note that leader of the opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa has the final decision.