Colombo, Apr 22: Sri Lanka`s minority government faces its first test today in a Parliament where Buddhist monks, Marxists and militants could end up deciding President Chandrika Kumaratunga`s political future. The government elected at the April 2 polls must demonstrate its majority by winning the election of a speaker, a deputy speaker and a chairman of committees through a secret ballot today.
Kumaratunga`s freedom alliance won 105 seats but is eight short of a simple majority in the 225-member assembly.
Buddhist monks, who have nine seats, could prop up Kumaratunga`s candidate for the top job in the house, but the all-clergy party has said it would abstain, a move that would help the opposition win the crucial speaker`s post.
The monks` neutrality is not enough for the opposition to block Kumaratunga`s candidate, Communist Party general secretary d. E W Gunasekara.
The opposition must be united to ensure victory for their choice, former Buddhist affairs minister W J M Lokubandara.
Hectic political maneuvering went on overnight with both the main opposition united national party of former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe and Kumaratunga trying to woo smaller parties.
Kumaratunga has also been trying to patch up with her junior coalition partner, the Marxist JVP, or People`s Liberation Front, which is at odds with her over the allocation of ministries.
Bureau Report