SRI LANKAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2015 WILLIAM HURD 1/8/2015 A3

RUN DOWN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD IN SRI LANKA ON 8 JANUARY 2015, TWO YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. THE INCUMBENT PRESIDENT MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA IS THE CENTRE-LEFT UNITED PEOPLE'S FREEDOM ALLIANCE'S CANDIDATE AND IS SEEKING A THIRD TERM IN OFFICE. THE UNITED NATIONAL PARTY (UNP)-LED OPPOSITION COALITION HAVE CHOSEN TO FIELD MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA, THE FORMER MINISTER OF HEALTH IN RAJAPAKSA'S GOVERNMENT AND GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE SRI LANKA FREEDOM PARTY (SLFP) - THE MAIN CONSTITUENT PARTY OF THE UPFA - AS THE COMMON CANDIDATE

The incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa will contest as the UPFA candidate, seeking an unprecedented third term. He has also received the backing of a number of small constituent parties of the UPFA including the Ceylon Workers' Congress, Communist Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), National Freedom Front, National Union of Workers and the Up-Country People's Front. On nomination day, 8 December 2014, two opposition MPs, Tissa Attanayake and Jayantha Ketagoda, defected to the government to support Rajapaksa. Attanayake was later appointed Minister of Health - the post previously held by Sirisena. Rajapaksa has also received the support of the Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena. Rajapaksa released his manifesto, titled Mahinda's Vision - The World Winning Path, on 23 December 2014 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. The manifesto pledges to introduce a new constitution within one year of being elected but the executive presidency won't be abolished - it will be amended and the "weakness" in the parliamentary system eliminated. A naval force and a special security force will be set-up, with the help of the army, to tackle drug trafficking and other organized crime. The manifesto also pledges to establish a transparent, judicial inquiry into the alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War but Rajapaksa has refused to co-operate with UN investigation.

In the run up to the election being called several names had been suggested for nomination as the common opposition candidate: former president Chandrika Kumaratunga, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya, former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and leader of the National Movement for Social Justice Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero. Sirisena has pledged to abolish the executive presidency within 100 days of being elected, repeal the controversial eighteenth amendment, re-instate the seventeenth amendment and appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister. Sirisena is to contest as the New Democratic Front (NDF) candidate under its swan symbol. Sirisena released his manifesto, titled A Compassionate Maithri Governance - A Stable Country, on 19 December 2014 at a rally at Viharamahadevi Park. The main pledge in the manifesto is the replacement of the executive presidency with a Westminster style cabinet but the manifesto acknowledges that Sirisena would need the support of the parliament to amend the constitution. In a separate document Sirisena has pledged that, whilst resisting any international investigation, he would establish an independent domestic inquiry into the alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War

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