No intention to go beyond mandated period :

UPFA believes in ballot, voters’ rights - Minister

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa firmly believes in the peoples mandate and the freedom of the voters’ franchise rights. The UPFA has no intention to be in power beyond the period mandated by the ballot, said Mass Media, Information and Enterprise Development Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa yesterday.

The Minister made these observations in response to a news report, in a Sunday Weekly that the President was requested by some sections within the Government to continue in office without holding a Presidential Election.

He pointed out that the President was very popular and moreover a person who firmly believed, strongly upheld and placed his faith in the system of democratic governance and norms.

“Therefore, the President would decide on the matter of re-election at the appropriate time stipulated by the procedures enshrined in the Constitution,” Minister Yapa said. According to the Minister, the President can call a presidential election after November 19, 2009 or after he completes his first term in office in 2011.

He said he UPFA and its main constituent, the SLFP, were political parties that firmly believed in democracy and recalled how the SLFP opposed the referendum to extend the life of Parliament during President JR Jayewardene’s administration.

“We believe in the people’s mandate and the democratic right of the ballot and this we have demonstrated many times. The people have positively responded in large majorities to elect representatives to all bodies in a democratic manner,” Minister Yapa said.

While acknowledging that there was indeed a popular call by the people for President Rajapaksa to continue for a further period uncontested, the Minister emphasized that the wish of the President was to seek re-election following democratic norms.

He is today a very popular President and the people will definitely respond positively in his favour at an election to express their gratitude to a leader who saved his nation and his people from the clutches of cruel terrorism to make headway towards development,” Minister Yapa said.