Day: 13 July 2015

The National Lists of the United National Party (UNP), United People’s Freedom Alliance and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have been released. All three lists contain some familiar faces as well as many new ones. The UPFA National List sees the inclusion of both loyalists of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena. The UNP National List also includes the likes of Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera and Athularaliye Rathana Thera, formally of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and who have aligned with the UNP as part of United National Front for Good Governance.…

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Wheeler Dealing á la Weerawansa Weerawansa’s palatial house at Hokandara By Nirmala Kannangara – (With supportive documents) The renegade Marxist politician, former minister Wimal Weerawansa has now been exposed as a wheeler-dealer engaged in money making tactics through various deals. Employees attached to institutions that were under Weerawansa’s purview when he was the Housing and Construction Minister have now come out openly and accuse him of offering tenders to the highest bidders disregarding government rules and regulations, simply for financial gain. Weerawansa is being accused of abusing the powers of…

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COLOMBO: Colombo district, Sri Lanka’s most populous electoral district with a 1.5 million strong electorate and 19 seats, will see top leaders of the various political parties fight it out in the August 17 parliamentary elections. The United National Party (UNP) is fielding Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakse, Power Minister P.Champika Ranawaka, and four junior ministers. The party is also fielding two Indian-Origin Tamils, Mano Ganeshan and S.Kuhavaradhan, and three Muslims, Mujibur Rahman, Feroza Muzammil and S.M.Marikkar. It has  fielded two popular women…

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A coalition led by Sri Lanka’s president has nominated war-time leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to run in elections next month, official documents showed on Monday, with allies saying he will stand for the post of prime minister. President Maithripala Sirisena defeated Rajapaksa in a bitterly fought election in January. He was forced to give the former leader the nomination in the face of strong demands from his party or risk a split. Rajapaksa’s crushing of a 26-year Tamil Tiger insurgency in 2009 won him support among the island nation’s Sinhalese majority,…

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8 January rainbow coalition regroups; will contest parliamentary poll as united front Maithri’s SLFP allies Rajitha, Arjuna, MKDS, Earl Gunesekera join alliance JHU signs MoU with UNP, Rajitha hails Ranil for putting country before party Sri Lanka will not go back to that dark era: Patali Champika Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and the JHU’s Athuraliye Rathana Thero sign the agreements along with JHU General Secretary and Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim and others at Temple Trees  By Dharisha Bastians The…

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Candidacy confirmed Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name has been included in the nomination list of UPFA for the Kurunegala district. Even though UPFA ann… No nominations for 4 former MPs Former parliamentarians Duminda Silva, Sarana Gunawardena, Sajin Vass Gunawardena and Mervin Silva have not been given nominations from the UPF… Nominations restore Susil’s health UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayantha arrived at the Colombo District Secretariat a short while ago to hand over the UPFA nominations for C… . Ravi and Wijedasa arrive with UNP nominations Ravi Karunanayake and Wijedasa Rajapaksa…

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Former Member of Parliament and Leader of the Democratic Left Front (DLF) of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Vasudeva Nanayakkara,is happy because he has been granted nomination from the Ratnapura District. Although nominations had been requested for six candidates from six  districts including Colombo, Gampaha, Moneragala, he pointed out that a situation has arisen where none of them will be given nominations. Nanayakkara further said he was happy that atleast he has received nominations from the Ratnapura District on UPFA as his friends or himself will never win a seat…

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Political parties today handed over their nominations lists to District Secretariats and the lists of mainstream political parties contesting for Colombo District are as follows. United People’s Freedom Alliance Susil Premajayantha Dinesh Gunawardane Wimal Weerawansa Bandula Gunawardane Mohan Lal Grero Gamini Lokuge Thilanga Sumathipala Geethanjana Gunawardana Rohitha Bogollagama Chandana Kathriarachchi Janaka Weliwatta Kanthi Kodikara Dhanasiri Amaratunga Malsha Kumaratunga Prasanna Wimal Jagath Kumara Vajira Mapalagama M. Almeida K. Guruparan Udaya Gammanpila Hameed Mohammed Jayantha Ketagoda United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe Ravi karunanayake Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha Harsha de Silva Rosy Senanayake Eran Wickremaratne…

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Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s nomination to contest the general election benefited the United National Party (UNP), Minister John Amaratunga said today. He said many SLFP front-liner including ministers had decided to join the UNP but had missed out on the nominations because by that time the list of candidates had been finalised. The minister told a media briefing at the UNP headquarters, Sirikotha that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to satisfy the SLFP by giving nomination to the former president has directly and indirectly benefited the UNP. “Some say the President…

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Major political realignments as nominations end UNP forms new alliance with JHU, former UPFA stalwarts and SLMC; will contest as United National Front for Good Governance Sirisena under severe pressure; gives various reasons for Rajapaksa’s re-entry but assures he won’t betray Jan. 8 mandate Fonseka’s party also seeks alliance with UNP, but demand for six slots in Colombo District rejected The […]……….Read More Battle for Kegalle The United National Party (UNP) is bringing back some of its old guard to fight the general election this time, hence Kegalle will once…

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Who really controls the UPFA nominations? The looming nomination deadline on July 13 has drawn attention to the power struggle within the UPFA coalition. On reading the UPFA constitution, I will show that President Sirisena’s power to singularly drive nominations is limited and that his control rests on his ability to negotiate with the executive committee of the UPFA. The UPFA […]……………… Read More Ranil, et al paint greener picture for Lanka at UNP Convention Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the United National Party (UNP) yesterday their choice at the August…

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