Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is likely to align herself with the United National Front for Good Governance next week. Kumaratunga, who left for the UK after the UPFA decided to give nomination to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is expected to return to the country after July 19, her Private Secretary P. Dissanayake told the Daily News. Following her return, Kumaratunga is likely to extend her support to the United National Front for Good Governance campaign. “She will mainly focus on the Gampaha district where Minister Arjuna Ranatunga is a…
Read MoreDay: 17 July 2015
JVP wants nothing but Mahinda’s scalp
The JVP yesterday blasted President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for betraying the people’s mandate given on January 8th as both of them had failed to prevent former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from making a comeback. Addressing the media at the party head office, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that former President Rajapaksa and his ‘corrupt’ administration had been politically defeated by the people at the presidential election, but the Maithri-Ranil administration had allowed the Rajapaksas to return to politics without taking action against their wrongdoing. He said…
Read MoreWhite vans are tourist vans today – Ranil
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said white vans used to abduct people have been converted to tourist vans under good governance. He said the people were today experiencing what the government established under good governance within the 100 day programme while eradicating corruption. “No one is abducted or goes missing under good governance,” the Prime Minister said. He was addressing an election rally organised to support candidates contesting the August 17 general election in Katana yesterday. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe added that as a result of good governance, no vehicle rallies were…
Read MoreMahinda will lose again – President breaks silence
By Zahrah Imtiaz President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to break silence and announce his stance on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invigorated one campaign while deflating the other. The UPFA campaign now finds itself stranded without the Executive’s support and looks to the former President for direction. The UNP alliance in the meantime believes that the move to get Rajapaksa to head the election campaign has sealed their victory. Ceylon Today interviewed former UPFA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara and former UNP MP Ashok Abeysinghe to get their reactions to the President’s speech.…
Read MorePresident repudiates Rajapaksa as UPFA prepares for second defeat
By Harim Peiris President Sirisena was scathing in his criticism of defeated President Rajapaksa and his misguided attempt at an electoral comeback. He correctly observed that Rajapaksa had removed term limits on the presidency so he could rule for life and fortunately, the people of Sri Lanka had other ideas. Now Rajapaksa refuses to hand over the baton to the next level of SLFP leadership and is instead trying the equivalent of a rematch, hoping for a different result to what was achieved in January. In a widely viewed televised…
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