UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera said an agreement has been reached between the SLFP and the SLPP to form a common alliance named 'Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Peramuna' to contest upcoming election.

"If we decide to contest an election together, we will contest as the Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Permauna," Amaraweera said without explicitly stating whether the two parties had decided to contest together.

However, the two parties arrived at this understanding after holding six rounds of discussions over several months.

Despite the initial understanding, serious questions have arisen on who will lead the common political front. Several SLPP politicians have made it clear that they will not back President Maithripala Sirisena to become the Presidential candidate of the common alliance.