President Maithripala Sirisena said he informed Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that the SLFP was not in a position to support the SLPP's current symbol.

Addressing an SLFP gathering yesterday, Sirisena said although his party had no qualms about supporting Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, they could not support the 'pohottuwa' symbol of the SLPP.

Sirisena held a discussion with Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and Basil Rajapaksa over the weekend. "I made them aware of the opinion of the party Central Committee and the grassroots level members."

In the same speech, Sirisena blamed the Joint Opposition for not working efficiently to secure a majority in Parliament following Mahinda Rajapaksa's controversial appointment as the Prime Minister in October, last year.

The President said he resorted to extraordinary measures, such as issuing five Gazette notifications within a matter of several days to facilitate the regime change.