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Sri Lanka prepares for fresh Parliament elections
Colombo, Feb 08: Sri Lankans today started preparing for fresh parliamentary elections on April 2 after President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved Parliament before its full term ended.
Colombo, Feb 08: Sri Lankans today started preparing for fresh parliamentary elections on April 2 after President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved Parliament before its full term ended.
President Kumaratunga using her executive powers dissolved Parliament at Saturday midnight, ending Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's 26-month-old government's six-year term prematurely.
Premier Wickremesinghe, immediately responding to the dissolution, cancelled a proposed visit to Thailand starting tomorrow and was preparing for the fresh elections.
Nominations for the elections to elect members to the 225 seat Parliament will be accepted from February 17 to 24 while the ceremonial sitting of the new Parliament has been fixed for April 22.
The dissolution came as the president and Prime Minister who are from two different political parties were involved in a power struggle since November 4 last year, after Kumaratunga sacked the defence, interior and mass communication ministers of Wickremesinghe's government.
President Kumaratunga and premier Wickremesinghe were involved in an uneasy co-habitation since the parliamentary election in December 2001.
Wickremesinghe and his cabinet of ministers immediately prior to dissolution could hold their portfolios until the elections are concluded, but the president is also entitled to make any changes, officials said.
Hours before the dissolution took place, President Kumaratunga brought in two of her opposition members into the Cabinet. They were former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and ex-Agriculture Minister D M Jayaratne.
After the political crisis unfolded in November, Sri Lanka's peace process with Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also suffered a major set back.
The Norwegian government has suspended its role until the political crisis is resolved, but a truce with the Tamil rebels continues to be effective under the supervision of Scandinavian monitors.
With the dissolution of parliament, the chances of resuming peace talks with the rebels was highly unlikely, until conclusion of the election and depending on its outcome.
Tamil rebels will not contest the elections, but are expected to strongly back a Tamil alliance contesting the elections in north and eastern parts of the country.
Rebels have declared that they were willing to open talks with any political party, which has a clear mandate from the people.
The talks with the rebels have been aimed at ending the 20-year-old ethnic conflict, which has claimed over 69,000 lives.
Kumaratunga, before dissolving Parliament, formed an alliance with a Marxist group known as the JVP (People's Liberation Front) which is against the LTTE and also critical of the Norwegians involved in the peace process.
Kumaratunga's party will contest elections with the new alliance formed on January 20. Bureau Report
Premier Wickremesinghe, immediately responding to the dissolution, cancelled a proposed visit to Thailand starting tomorrow and was preparing for the fresh elections.
Nominations for the elections to elect members to the 225 seat Parliament will be accepted from February 17 to 24 while the ceremonial sitting of the new Parliament has been fixed for April 22.
The dissolution came as the president and Prime Minister who are from two different political parties were involved in a power struggle since November 4 last year, after Kumaratunga sacked the defence, interior and mass communication ministers of Wickremesinghe's government.
President Kumaratunga and premier Wickremesinghe were involved in an uneasy co-habitation since the parliamentary election in December 2001.
Wickremesinghe and his cabinet of ministers immediately prior to dissolution could hold their portfolios until the elections are concluded, but the president is also entitled to make any changes, officials said.
Hours before the dissolution took place, President Kumaratunga brought in two of her opposition members into the Cabinet. They were former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and ex-Agriculture Minister D M Jayaratne.
After the political crisis unfolded in November, Sri Lanka's peace process with Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also suffered a major set back.
The Norwegian government has suspended its role until the political crisis is resolved, but a truce with the Tamil rebels continues to be effective under the supervision of Scandinavian monitors.
With the dissolution of parliament, the chances of resuming peace talks with the rebels was highly unlikely, until conclusion of the election and depending on its outcome.
Tamil rebels will not contest the elections, but are expected to strongly back a Tamil alliance contesting the elections in north and eastern parts of the country.
Rebels have declared that they were willing to open talks with any political party, which has a clear mandate from the people.
The talks with the rebels have been aimed at ending the 20-year-old ethnic conflict, which has claimed over 69,000 lives.
Kumaratunga, before dissolving Parliament, formed an alliance with a Marxist group known as the JVP (People's Liberation Front) which is against the LTTE and also critical of the Norwegians involved in the peace process.
Kumaratunga's party will contest elections with the new alliance formed on January 20. Bureau Report