Mahinda Rajapaksa

Rajapaksa Recommends Welgama As Opposition Leader

August 25, 2015

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that former Minister Kumara Welgama is a good candidate for the post of opposition leader.

Speaking to local media, Rajapaksa said that many elected SLFP MPs agree that Welgama is a good candidate for the post.

Rajapaksa added that he has no intention of becoming the opposition leader.

He also maintained that it was easy to do politics with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe since he did not take revenge.

Rajapaksa was seen in public with Wickremesinghe on several occasions after the August 17 election, most notably at the Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony on August 21, and the felicitation ceremony of Kumar Sangakkara held yesterday.

Despite Rajapaksa's refusal to accept the opposition leader's position, some of his supporters are urging him to change his mind. National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday that Rajapaksa will have to accept if a majority of the opposition requests him to do so.

Rivals Arrive For Wickremesinghe's Swearing-in (PHOTOS)

August 21, 2015

Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in today for a fourth term as Prime Minister at the Presidential Secretariat.

Wickremesinghe became the first Sri Lankan to be sworn-in as the Prime Minister for four terms.

Many guests including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa were present at the event presided by President Maithripala Sirisena.

SLTB Files Case Against Rajapaksa, Others

August 20, 2015

The Sri Lanka Transport Board filed a case at the Commercial High Court in Colombo against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and four others on the alleged defaulting of Rs. 142 million due to the SLTB.

Filing the case through its lawyers the Somaratne Associates, the SLTB said that the respondents of the case had defaulted the payment of this amount of money which was due to the SLTB for hiring buses during the 2015 Presidential Election campaign.

The other respondents named are Susil Premajayantha, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Gamini Senarat and Amal Senadhilankara.

Rajapaksa Cannot Refuse To Be Opposition Leader, Says Zoysa

August 20, 2015

Former MP from Ratnapura District, Ranjith de Zoysa, said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot refuse to be the opposition leader of the new parliament.

Speaking to Asian Mirror a short while ago, Zoysa said that Rajapaksa's supporters will make him change his mind, even if he refuses to be opposition leader.

Rajapaksa told media recently that he will be a backbencher in the new parliament.

Furthermore, Zoysa said that a minority of the SLFP Central Committee was opposed to the idea of a national government. However, the majority of the CC is now composed of loyalists of President Maithripala Sirisena, he pointed out.

Regardless of the SLFP CC decision, he will oppose a national government and will sit in opposition, Ziysa said.

UPFA In Further Crisis: 'Rajapaksa Faction' Meets Separately

August 20, 2015

The newly elected UPFA parliamentarians supporting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa met today at the residence of Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

Leader of the Left Democratic Front Vasudeva Nanayakkara told media that Rajapaksa took part in the meeting.

The Rajapaksa supporters are against the national government, Nanayakkara confirmed to media.

Reports said that around 60 newly elected members took part in the meeting.

Wickremesinghe Fails To Surpass Rajapaksa's Percentage

August 19, 2015

Although Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe received more than 500,000 preference votes from Colombo, he failed to surpass the preferential vote percentage of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2015 General Election.

Wickremesinghe received 500,566 preferences while the UNP polled 640,743 votes. Thereby, 78 percent of UNP voters gave one preference to Wickremesinghe. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa received 423,529 preferences while the UPFA polled 474,124 votes. The percentage of UPFA voters who gave a preference vote to Rajapaksa was 89 percent.

UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa managed to obtain the preference of 84 percent of UNP voters in Hambantota. Premadasa gained 112,645 preferences while the UNP polled 134,433 votes.

Rajapaksa Tops Kurunegala Preferential Votes

August 18, 2015

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa received 423,529 pereferences, easily leading the race in the district. UNP team leader Akila Viraj Kariyawasam received 286,165 preferences.

The UPFA won eight seats while the UNP won seven seats in Kurunegala District.

UPFA List

1. Mahinda Rajapaksa 423,529

2. Dayasiri Jayasekara 133,532

3. T.B. Ekanayaka 82,789

4. Anura Yapa 77,057

5. Johnston Fernando 76,714

6. Salinda Dissnayaka 54,318

7.Indika Bandaranayaka 46,356

8. Tharanath Basnayaka 43,020

Australian Politician Suggests Taking Rajapaksa To The Hague

August 18, 2015

Lee Rhiannon, a New South Wales Senator in Australia stated that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's election defeat was a step closer to having him and his brothers tried in The Hague for war crimes.

She made this controversial statement posting a statement on her Twitter page, as the election results were being released in Sri Lanka this morning.

It was reported early morning today that former President Rajapaksa had accepted defeat.

Rhiannon is a politician representing Australian Greens.

Rajapaksa Concedes, Only To Backtrack Later

August 18, 2015

Mahinda Rajapaksa created confusion on Tuesday morning as he first conceded the election and later backtracked on his decision.

“My dream of becoming prime minister has faded away,” Rajapaksa told AFP early Tuesday. “I am conceding. We have lost a good fight.”

But in an interview with Reuters later in the day, Mr. Rajapaksa stopped short of conceding, saying only that he was unlikely to lead Sri Lanka’s next government. “I will support good policies and oppose bad things" he said.

Meanwhile his Twitter Handle said that Rajapaksa hasn’t yet received official final results of the election to accept victory or concede defeat.