Kandy - National Organiser, UNP and opposition leader, Central Provincial Council S. B. Dissanayake told a media conference in Kandy that the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would be the party’s contestant at the forthcoming Presidential Election.

Dissanayake said that the government would go for a presidential election ahead of a Parliamentary Election and the presidential polls would be held on February 22 next year.

Asked who would be presidential candidate of the UNP, Dissanayake said, "The candidate will be none other than our leader Ranil Wickremesinghe."

Responding to another query Dissanayake said that there were internal issues to be settled. "There are more problems within the SLFP, the UNP’s internal problems are just 10 percent of those of the SLFP. The UNP is ready to face any election. Be it presidential or parliamentary. Of course, the government will not be able to market the war at any of the future elections, as was done at the previous elections. We appreciate the victory and we respect it," he said.

Dissanayake said that the UNP, group would hold regular monthly media briefings. Amendments to the laws of the local government elections alone were not sufficient. The entire election system from the Presidential and Parliamentary should change, he said.

Election system should be amended to ensure that minority groups were granted more representation in the elected bodies.

Minorities had been better represented in Parliament in the past due to the electoral system which provided multi-member seats, in some areas, he said.

Dissanayake criticised the present system of school admissions. The system reeked with corruption and malpractice, he said.