Colombo [Sri Lanka], Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena resigned as President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and replaced him with Minister Vijayadasa Rajapaksa for the post, the Colombo Gazette reported. The SLFP faction led by Sirisena met at a hotel in Kotte on Sunday, Rajapaksa was appointed the new president of the party after a vote, attorney-at-law Kirti Udawatte was also appointed as the acting general secretary of the SLFP However, the SLFP faction, led by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, said it did not recognize the appointments, with party MP Duminda Dissanayake saying the appointments made by Sirisena were "illegal", as reported by the Colombo Gazette. .