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SRILANKA-POLITICS-ELECTION
Sri Lanka PM faces party challenge in presidential battle
COLOMBO, Sept 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition became
embroiled in a power struggle Tuesday as two challengers came forward to
oppose Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to be candidate for a looming
presidential election.
Wickremesinghe had been the clear frontrunner to be the United National
Party candidate until parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya and deputy party
leader Sajith Premadasa threw their hats into the ring.
The UNP dominates the ruling coalition and is expected to nominate its
candidate for the election to be held between November 7 and December 7.
Voting already risks controversy with Gotabaya Rajapakse, younger brother
of Sri Lanka’s former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse, leading the
opposition bid despite outstanding court cases and criminal inquiries.
Jayasuriya, 78, who played a key role in ending a political crisis last
year, said he wants the top office so he can scrap the presidential system
which he accused of centralising power.
“I will enter the contest with the intention of abolishing the executive
presidency and not to enjoy that office,” Jayasuriya said in a statement.
“Since 1995, we have wanted to scrap the presidency, but failed.”
Jayasuriya led a campaign by members of parliament in October to oppose
incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena’s bid to sack Wickremesinghe and
install a puppet prime minister.
Hours before his announcement however, Premadasa, 52, told a hurriedly
summoned press conference that he should be the UNP’s presidential hopeful.
The son of president Ranasinghe Premadasa who was assassinated by
suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in 1993, Premadasa called for a secret ballot of
the UNP executive to decide the candidate.
It was not clear when the party would decide, but the election is expected
to be formally declared later this month.
Premadasa said he would beat Rajapakse who is considered a strong
contender even though he faces corruption cases in Sri Lanka and two civil
actions in the United States.
The US cases are over the murder of a newspaper editor and torture of
Tamil rebel suspects when he was a top defence ministry official during his
brother’s rule.
Sirisena broke away from Mahinda Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party to
win the last election in 2015 with the help of the UNP. However he later
formed a new alliance with Rajapakse.
Squabbles between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe came to a head when Sirisena
sacked Wickremesinghe in October last year and tried to put former president
Mahinda Rajapakse in his place.
The Supreme Court eventually ruled that Sirisena’s actions were illegal.
Sirisena’s alliance with Rajapakse was also short lived as Rajapakse has
since formed a new party. Sirisena has not yet announced whether he will seek
a new term.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1725 hrs