COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who won a thumping victory in Tuesday’s presidential polls, announced he would dissolve Parliament shortly and call for a general election. The term of the current Parliament ends in April this year. The last session of the parliament is to be held on Feb. 5, the day following the island’s independence day.
In an explosive revelation the Defense Ministry claimed there was an attempt by Fonseka to assassinate Rajapaksa and his family in Colombo.
Lakshman Hullugale, director of the government Media Center for National Security, told reporters that there was ample evidence to prove the general hatched the assassination attempt from two hotels in Colombo. He said the president and his family were to be assassinated along Galle Road in Colombo or at Lake House Junction in Fort. Hullugale added that nine army deserters who were arrested from outside a Hotel in Colombo.
Earlier on Thursday Fonseka, in an interview with News X in India from a Colombo hotel, claimed there was an attempt to arrest him and his security staff and later assassinate him.
Three of Fonseka’s supporters who were arrested by the Army on Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to commit crimes have been released on bail.
Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said the government would also begin preparing for the general elections within the next few days.
United People’s Freedom Alliance General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said in a press conference on Thursday that nominations for the general elections would be handed over within the next few weeks.
Commenting on the new development, political analysts in Colombo said the victory at the recently concluded polls has given Rajapaksa a fillip to hold the legislative election.
Forty-one observers took part in the election-monitoring mission consisting of 13 member commissions in 22 electoral districts.
