Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has announced the withdrawal of his candidacy for the presidential election.
The move will make the race harder to win for acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has the support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, which is closely connected with Rajapaksa's family.
Premadasa, an ardent critic of Ranil Wickremesinghe, made the announcement minutes before the nominations announcement began in the parliament.
"For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President. SJB Sri Lanka and our alliance and our opposition partners will work hard towards making Dullas Allahapperuma victorious," Sajith Premadasa said.
The leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and its alliance partners reached an agreement with Dullas Alahapperuma on Tuesday morning, meaning 55 MPs of SJB will vote for the candidate.
Dullas Alahapperuma is leading a faction of Gotabaya's SLLP, which separated itself amid protests over the economic crisis in the country.
On Tuesday, Sajith Premadasa proposed Dullas Alahapperuma's name for nomination, which G.L. Peiris seconded. Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena proposed Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Manusha Nanayakkara seconded his name.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was also nominated, making the presidential race a three-way contest. His name was proposed by National People's Power (NPP) MP Vijitha Herath and seconded by NPP MP Harini Amarasuriya.
So far, several surveys conducted by local media show Wickremesinghe is the front-runner in the presidential election as the 73-year-old veteran politician has the support of Gotabaya's SLPP.
Gotabaya's SLPP is the largest party in the parliament, with 145 members in the 225-member legislature. However, 40 members of SLPP are no longer aligned with the party, recognizing themselves as independent members of the 225-member parliament.
With the strategic withdrawal of Premadasa from the race, the chances of Dullas winning the presidential election has improved.
SJB has 55 MPs, and Dullas may receive the support of 25 parliamentarians from Tamil and Muslim groups. To win the election, a candidate needs the support of 113 MPs.
On voting day, the parliament's secretary-general will act as the returning officer who will call out the name of each member, including the speaker.
Each MP will have to indicate their preferred candidate via ballot. The secret ballot voting will be concluded on 20 July, and the result will be declared later that day.
Earlier on Monday, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took charge as acting president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore, announced a countrywide emergency, providing "arbitrary powers" to the police and army to arrest or detain people accused of disturbing public order.
Hours later, Wickremesinghe directed police to act against those reportedly threatening parliamentarians ahead of the July 20 vote.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena also submitted a written complaint to the police chief requesting an investigation into posts on social media threatening Members of Parliament.
The Island Nation of 22 million people faces severe food and fuel shortages due to the foreign exchange reserve crisis, which was triggered by economic mismanagement and a COVID-19-induced slowdown.
Sri Lanka owes $51 billion in foreign debt, primarily to US-influenced multilateral institutions and venture funds.
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