Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa will definitely be contesting the forthcoming elections as a prime ministerial candidate, although he has not yet decided which party he would run under, according to his spokesperson Rohan Weliwita.
Mr Weliwita said the former president was optimistic that he would be nominated by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to contest under the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) or the People's Alliance (PA).
“The reports that President and SLFP Chairman Maithripala Sirisena had rejected nominations for Mr. Rajapaksa are not yet confirmed. MPs Susil Premejayantha and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa are still trying to get the nominations for Mr. Rajapaksa,” he said.