Discussions are underway between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa aiming to resolve the presidential candidacy issue, informed party sources said.

The first round of discussions was held between the three UNP seniors at the Speaker's Residence, yesterday.

Informed party sources said the discussions aim to ensure that the party selects its Presidential candidate without a vote at the next Working Committee meeting.

"All three of them are of the view that a vote will cause a split in the party," a highly-placed party source said. "Therefore. our objective is to select the candidate by consensus, without a vote."

Multiple sources have revealed that the UNP will announce its final decision on the candidate on Wednesday.