Ex- President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday broke his silence with regards to the August 17 parliamentary elections and formally announced that he will be contesting the polls.
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“I have no right to refuse the people’s call”, Rajapakse said at his home in Medamulana village in his southern stronghold of Hambantota where pictures of the ex- president with “I am ready” were posted.
President Maithripala Sirisena, chairman of Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had said earlier that Rajapaksa won’t be made the prime ministerial candidate of the SLFP.
Yesterday, there had been talks between representatives of President Sirisena and ex- leader Rajapaksa in Kandy, but the talks were inconclusive.
Tourism and Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake said that the people will put his name “into the dustbin of history”.
Rajapaksa’s supporters hope to make his the next Prime Minister, but it is not clear from which party will he run for the parliament.
Sirisena’s statement, however, doesn’t bar Rajapaksa from applying for a ticket to contest from the SLFP or from one of the parties of the UPFA.
Sirisena called general elections last month to strengthen his position in the legislative assembly, where some of his key reforms are facing resistance from Mr. Rajapaksa loyalists.
In this context, there are speculations that the ex- President may opt to contest separately, probably from the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna.
Together they had sought to curb presidential powers, which they had accused Rajapaksa of abusing during his decade in power, and depoliticise state institutions such as the police, judiciary and public services.
Any split in the SLFP/UPFA will help the United National Party (UNP) led by the current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, which is united for the first time in many years and has the state resources at its command till the elections.
The elections will help determine the fate of Sirisena’s reform drive.
Rajapaksa said he couldn’t reject their appeal for a come back.
He could be considered for the Prime Ministership after the elections if has the support of the SLFP/UPFA parliamentary party.
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The ethnic Sinhalese strongman is also popular with the country’s majority Buddhist Sinhala citizens, who account for around 70 percent of the population.
