Days after his shocking electoral defeat, embattled former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday handed over Sri lanka Freedom Party’s reins to the country’s new leader Maithripala Sirisena, saying he does not want to see his party divided.
“I dislike seeing my party divided,” 69-year-old Rajapaksa who ruled the Island nation for a decade said in a statement while handing over the party chairmanship to the new lankan President Sirisena.
Scores of senior party leaders had joined 63-year-old Sirisena before and after he became the president on January 9. “With effect from Friday I will be handing over the leadership to President Maithripala Sirisena”, Rajapaksa said in a statement.Sirisena was the Health Minister in Rajapaksa’s Government until he defected to become the joint Opposition candidate in November last year.