Nominations close for Sri Lanka’s presidential poll

COLOMBO - Nominations for Sri Lanka’s Jan 26 presidential elections closed Thursday with the incumbent putting his hat into the ring against his former army commander.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, 64, handed in his nomination from the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance while General Sarath Fonseka, 58, is contesting the presidency with the backing of an opposition alliance, the New Democratic Front.

A candidate raised an objection to Fonseka’s candidacy, saying the general could not contest the election because he was a US citizen. But Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka overruled the objection.

Fonseka and his family hold US green cards, permits which allow them to live and work in the US. But he continues to hold Sri Lankan citizenship, a requirement to run in elections.

Fonseka, who spearheaded the military campaign against Tamil rebels and led the 26-year-old separatist war to an end in May, decided to contest after he fell out with the president and his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary.

The general is backed by the main opposition United National Party, led by former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as the third-largest party, the Marxist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP).

“As I defeated the terrorists in the war, I am confident of winning the elections,” Fonseka told journalists.

President Rajapaksa, who has also been claiming credit for ending the war, said: “I have used my first term to defeat terrorism and want to concentrate on development of the country in the next term.”

The nominations of 21 other candidates were also accepted, making the field the largest to ever contest a Sri Lankan presidential election.

More than 14 million voters have registered to vote.

Rajapaksa, elected for a six-year term in November 2005, opted for an early election claiming he wanted to seek a fresh mandate from the Tamil minority who were prevented from voting in the previous presidential poll because of a boycott called by the rebels.

The opposition alleged he called the elections because of his dipping popularity.

Both Rajapaksa and Fonseka were due to launch their campaign Friday.