Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader Udaya Gammanpila today (19) praised President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, calling him "a magician" for uniting the North, East, and South for the first time in history during a general election.

Addressing a media briefing, Gammanpila said the party they contested with, Sarvajana Balaya, knew they would face defeat in the election.

“It’s not that we didn’t know. We knew the National People’s Power (NPP) would win. But what we wanted was to create a party for right-wing voters, and we achieved that,” he said.

Speaking about President Dissanayake, Gammanpila added:
“The President, in his inaugural address to the nation, said he is not a magician. But he was able to unite the North, East, and South for the first time in history during the parliamentary election. So, he truly is a magician.”