Development challenge easy for me - President
*First Presidential election after war victory:
*Fulfilled aspirations to reunite Motherland
Chaminda PERERA
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said he succeeded in crushing
LTTE terrorism and he is confident of developing the country to create a
better future for the younger generation.
“I carried out the most arduous exercise of eradicating terrorism in
the country and I will win the development war to create better future
for our posterity”, he said.
President Rajapaksa expressed these sentiments to the media after
handing over of nomination papers for the upcoming Presidential election
at the Elections Secretariat yesterday. A host of Government Ministers
and senior party members were present on the occasion.
He said the people of this country assigned him with a special task
of reuniting the Motherland and he was able to achieve what the people
expected from him.
“It is not difficult for me to meet the challenges of development if
terrorism was crushed within four years.
He said the Government has a bounden duty to make the country stable
economically.
“I gave proper leadership to eradicate terrorism which had engulfed
the country for decades.
The country is going for a Presidential election for the first time
after terrorism was wiped out from the country and President Mahinda
Rajapaksa expresed his intent to seek a fresh Presidential Poll.
Candidates from 18 recognized political parties and five independent
groups handed over nominations for the Presidential Polls to the
Elections Commissioner. The nominations of Peter Nelson Perera from the
Sri Lanka Progressive Front was rejected by the Elections Commissioner.
The Elections Commissioner said he had to reject the nomination for
Nelson Perera after a thorough investigation into the objections.
Another objection was raised against the nominations of MC Mohammed
Ismail of the Democratic United National Front.
Ismail is contesting the upcoming Presidential election under the
symbol of Eagle.
The Elections Commissioner ruled out the objections. The Election
Commissioner has received objections against the nominations of three
candidates. Former Kandy District MP Sarath Kongahage raising an
objection to the nomination of Former CDS General Sarath Fonseka said
that he is a citizen in the United States and he is contravening the
Constitution by contesting the forthcoming election. However, he failed
to substantiate how the Constitution has been violated.
The Elections Commissioner overruled his objections and stressed that
any problem with regard to the nomination of Sarath Fonseka can be
solved through the judiciary.
U.B. Wijekoon from the National Development Front , Deshabandu A.S.P.
Liyanage from the Sri Lanka Labour Party and Aruna Soyza from Ruhunu
Janatha Party are among the 22 candidates who handed over nominations
for the upcoming Presidential elelcton. |