SRI LANKA-POLITICS/NEWSER Sri Lanka's ruling party dismisses former president Rajapaksa's comeback bid

Record ID: 148728

  • Title: SRI LANKA-POLITICS/NEWSER Sri Lanka's ruling party dismisses former president Rajapaksa's comeback bid
  • Date: 2nd July 2015
  • Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (JULY 2, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SRI LANKA'S MINISTER OF PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND MEMBER OF UNITED NATIONAL PARTY, LAKSHMAN KIRIELLA, ARRIVES AT NEWS CONFERENCE KIRIELLA SITTING BEFORE START OF NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SITTING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Sinhala) SRI LANKA'S MINIST
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sri Lanka
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6TSBE3YI8VB5D89UM9WSN3G13
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Sri Lanka's ruling United National Party (UNP) told a news conference on Thursday (July 2) that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa would face certain defeat in the upcoming elections, a day after his announcement he would be running for prime minister.
    "Mahinda Rajapaksa lost last time and will face defeat this time too. That is the ugly truth. When he contested the January 8th elections, he used government resources, government money but he still couldn't win," said Lakshman Kiriella, Sri Lanka's Minister of Plantation Industries and a member of the UNP, in Colombo on Thursday.
    Rajapaksa, who ruled the island nation for 10 years, was defeated when he contested for an unprecedented third term with President Maithripala Sirisena in elections in January this year.
    Sirisena, who then gained leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has rejected Rajapaksa's demand to name him as the prime ministerial candidate of the party. Analysts say Rajapaksa's move could split the party and weaken it further.
    Rajapaksa did not specify the party under which he would contest, but his supporters told Reuters that he would form a new coalition if Sirisena does not relent.
    "Even after all the hype of recent days, even if Mahinda Rajapaksa tries to contest from a united opposition, he will (still) get 40% less (votes) than in the last elections," Kiriella said.
    "What we have decided is to to contest separately. The United National Party separately, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (the main opposition party) separately. After the elections we will form a national government," he added.
    The former president became a hero to many for ending Sri Lanka's 26 year civil war with a crushing victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, but critics accuse him of brutal crimes at the end of the war, and highlight his role overseeing an era of censorship, attacks on religious minorities and persecution of political rivals and journalists.
    Rajapaksa repeatedly said during his administration that the Western nations-led international community were trying to interfere in the island nation's internal affairs, using the war crime allegation as tool.
    The former president and his family have been accused of widespread bribery and corruption, and a number of local and international anti-corruption agencies are investigating the allegations.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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