Tharunnyata Hetak, Suba Anagathayak most attractive slogans:

President leads

*People feel President must be re-elected

*President leading in most districts

Nivantha KANUWANA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will score a remarkable victory over Sarath Fonseka at the forthcoming Presidential Election, according to the results of an independent survey on National Development and Social Attitudes conducted by the Kelaniya University.

Releasing the results to the media at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute yesterday Dr Rohana Laxman Piyadasa, Senior Lecturer of Mass Communications Department, Kelaniya University said that 62 percent of the people believe in the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 60 percent feels the President must be re-elected to ensure a brighter future for the country. At the same time only 36 percent believe in the victory of the common candidate Sarath Fonseka and the balance two percent voters did not fall in to any of the above two categories.

According to Dr Piyadasa the survey was conducted in three consecutive stages and yesterday’s released results were the final.

The sample size was 15,000 representing 20 percent of Government servants, 25 percent private sector employees, 30 percent self employees and 25 percent unemployed respondents covering all 25 administrative districts.

Survey results show that in most districts President Mahinda Rajapaksa dominates over Sarath Fonseka with an outstanding margin. In districts like Ratnapura, Galle, Kurunegala, Hambantota, Moneragala, Puttalam, Badulla and Polonnaruwa it will reach the peak with over a two thirds majority. In addition to the election predictions the survey has identified the Tharunnyata Hetak and Suba Anagathayak as the most attractive slogans in the entire media campaign.

Senior Lecturer of Economics Department, Kelaniya University Dr M.M. Gunathilaka pointed out that this election is one of the most media-sensitive elections in the recent past and it will influence a lot in the final result.

Ajith Dissanayake, Manoj Jinadasa and Saman Rajapaksha were among other lecturers who presented the survey results at the press conference and they described the statistical background of the survey. The same survey had been conducted in the 2004 General election and the 2005 Presidential election with accurate predictions.