Voters gear up for Sri Lanka's first post-war pres
Voters gear up for Sri Lanka's first post-war presidential poll
Voters gear up for Sri Lanka's first post-war presidential poll
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will seek a fresh mandate in the upcoming elections Ray Ban in the South Asian nation, but he is facing a tough challenge from his one-time confidante and former Army commander, retired General Sarath Fonseka.
More than 14 million Sri Lankans will head to the polls on Tuesday to elect the island nation's sixth executive president to a six-year term.
Buoyed by the military defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels last year, which brought an end to a decades-long separatist conflict,#x Rajapaksa called the election two years before his term ends. In an unexpected move, his partner in military victory, Fonseka, joined the group of 20 other lesser-known contenders vying to replace him. Observers say the result could be a photo finish.
Fonseka, who won wide acclaim for leading troops Ray Ban to military victory against the rebels, broke ranks with the Rajapaksa administration after he was elevated to the largely ceremonial post of Chief of Defence Staff in July of last year after retiring as Army commander.
After Fonseka announced his presidential bid, the main opposition parties -- with widely diverse political ideologies -- closed ranks behind him to make him their common candidate.
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"There has been abuse of power, corruption and nepotism. We want to abolish the executive presidency and make the parliament more answerable to the people. The best person to do this is the one who defeated terrorism," Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the United National Party, told CNN.
Many of Rajapaksa's family members hold key positions Ray Ban in the government, such as his brothers: Chamal is a cabinet minister,Travel qingdao, Gotabhaya is Defence Secretary and Basil is a member of parliament and senior presidential adviser. Other members of the family hold important positions locally and in Sri Lanka's diplomatic missions abroad.
Rajapaksa told an election rally last Thursday that he was confident "people would reject 'opposition machinations' to subjugate the freedom achieved by defeating terrorism" and said he was confident of winning with a large majority.
The coalition of parties backing Fonseka includes a main opposition right wing party #x and a leftist Marxist outfit, as well as the Tamil National Alliance.
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