I will be the Prime Minister of the government : Ranil Wickremesinghe

COLOMBO (News 1st) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe convened a media briefing at Temple Trees this morning. Journalist: Will economic changes be made next year under your prime ministership? Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe responded saying yes and it would be under him as the prime minister and Sajith Premadasa as the president. However, presidential candidate stated that he had only decided one post in the coming government. Minister Sajith Premadasa, Presidential Candidate of the NDF: "We have only confirmed one position of our government so far. I have only made a decision about national security and law and order. I have given it to Sarath Fonseka who has rendered a great service to the nation by winning the war. I ask the people of this country to take that appointment as an example. That's the standard I have set when it comes to making appointments. I have set the bar that high. Anybody who robbed the country will not be appointed with my signature. I responsibly state that I will give appointments to the rest only after I check if the person is clean and free of fraud and corruption." Meanwhile, during a media briefing today, General Secretary of the UPFA, Mahinda Amaraweera expressed the following views: "After Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumes duties as the president, we cannot proceed with a UNP government. So Ranil Wickremesinghe will be removed from his position, and Mahinda Rajapaksa will be appointed as the new prime minister. When Mathripala Sirisena took over as president, there were only about 40 MPs from the UNP, and we had a two-thirds majority. However, Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the prime minister at that point. Maithripala Sirisena took oaths as the president, and the prime minister took oaths the very next day. We had 147 MPs then. We will use the same method to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister. At present, a majority of UNP MPs are supporting the government. We need a government, and we need to go forward. We cannot dissolve it. When Gotabaya Rajapaksa becomes the president, we will establish a government with more than 120 MPs."