Sirisena allows Rajapaksa to contest polls
Date
7/4/2015 11:23:48 PM
(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The presidents surprise decision was announced in a special communiqu issued by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) after the groups constituent party leaders met on Thursday.
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Colombo — Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday reversed his decision not to allow former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest in the island nation’s upcoming general elections under the banner of his party.
The president’s surprise decision was announced in a special communiqué issued by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) after the group’s constituent party leaders met on Thursday.
Susil Premajayantha the UPFA general secretary said that President Sirisena has “agreed to allow Mr. Rajapaksa to contest” although not as the party’s prime ministerial candidate for which Rajapaksa has been clamouring for.
On Wednesday the former president announced that he plans to re-enter politics stand in parliamentary elections next month and “form a new government.”
Speaking in front of a large crowd of supporters Rajapaksa said he could not reject their request to lead them. But it was not clear which party the former president would represent.
Until late Thursday night the former Sri Lankan president attempted to stage a political comeback as prime minister through the UPFA whose current leader is President Sirisena. However Rajapaksa’s attempts suffered a setback when talks within the UPFA to let him lead the campaign in the general elections were vehemently shot down by the president.
President Sirisena’s decision to let the former president contest polls after a long drawn out battle to vanquish Rajapaksa has surprised and angered supporters who voted out Rajapaksa in January’s presidential polls.
After a 10-year presidency Rajapaksa lost to President Sirisena who staged a last minute shocking cross-over to a coalition party. The Sirisena faction says that bringing back Rajapaksa who has been accused of corruption nepotism and total disregard for the rule of law goes against President Sirisena’s election pledge of wiping out corruption.
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