Sri Lanka's all Buddhist monk party, the JHU or the Heritage Party, announced Wednesday that they were exploring ways to field a joint candidate with the country's major leftist party in the next presidential election.

Ellawala Medhananda, the JHU leader told reporters here Wednesday that "we will invite the JVP (People's Liberation Front) to field a joint candidate with our party."

The JVP and the JHU do not see eye to eye as both parties are appealing to the same electorate of voters representing the majority Sinhala Buddhists.

However, the two parties appear to be theoretically on the same platform with the JVP's quitting from the government mid June.

The JVP left the government over the dispute involving the post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) with Tigers claiming it as a betrayal to the Tamil Tigers.

Both parties are opposed to any negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.

Medhananda said that if the JVP did not accept their invitation, the party would announce its own candidate.

The island country's two major parties, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the opposite United National Part, have announced their candidates for the presidential election.

Source: Xinhua