Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2015. The former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the United People's Freedom Alliance's (UPFA) candidate, seeking a third term in office. According to The Constitution of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2015. The general term of office for a president is six years, although an incumbent serving a second term can only call an election at any time after four years in office. In September 2010 Parliament, which was controlled by Mr. Rajapaksa's government, passed the eighteenth amendment to the constitution, removing the two term limit on presidents, allowing Mr. Rajapaksa to run for a third term. In early November 2014 Mr. Rajapaksa sought the Supreme Court's opinion on whether he could stand for re-election. The court ruled that Mr. Rajapaksa could stand for re-election. On 20 November 2014 Mr. Rajapaksa issued a proclamation calling for a presidential election at which he would seek re-election. The following day election commissioner Mr. Mahinda Deshapriya announced that nominations would be taken on 8 December 2014 and that the election would be held on 8 January 2015. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa contested as the UPFA candidate, seeking an unprecedented third term. He has also received the backing of a number of small constituent and political parties of the UPFA including the Ceylon Workers' Congress, Communist Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), National Freedom Front, National Union of Workers and the Up-Country People's Front and also received the support of the Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena. The United National Party (UNP) chosed Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, the former Minister of Health in Rajapaksa's government and general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as its common candidate. Mr. Sirisena has pledged to abolish the executive presidency within 100 days of being elected, repeal the controversial eighteenth amendment, re-instate the seventeenth amendment. He appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister. On 1 December 2014 Sirisena signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 36 opposition parties/civic groups promising to abolish the executive presidency, hold parliamentary elections, form an all-party national government and carry out various political reforms. Signatories to the MOU include the UNP, Sarath Fonseka's Democratic Party, Democratic People's Front, Azath Salley's Muslim Tamil National Alliance, Free Media Movement, Federation of University Teachers Association as well as dissident groups of the LSSP Communist Party and Tamil National Alliance. Candidate Maithripala Sirisena’s home town is Polonnaruwa is situated in North Central Province. 15,044,490 Sri Lankans were eligible to vote at the election and Postal voting was held on 23 and 24 December 2014. Foreign monitors were invited to observe the election. The Sri Lankan president is elected using a form of instant-runoff voting. Voters can rank up to three candidates, and if no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, second and third preferences from ballots whose first preference candidate has been eliminated are used to determine the winner. Mr. Sirisena was declared the winner after receiving 51.28% of all votes cast compared to Mr. Rajapaksa's 47.58%. Mr. Sirsena was declared the winner after receiving 51.28% of all votes cast compared to Rajapaksa's 47.58%. Mr. Sirsena was the winner in 12 electoral districts whilst Mr. Rajapaksa was victorious in the remaining 10. Mr. Rajapaksa had earlier conceded defeat after meeting Wickremesinghe and assuring him of a smooth transition of power and then he left his official residence Temple Trees. He also vacated President's House. Mr. Sirsena was sworn in as Sri Lanka's sixth executive president before Senior Supreme Court judge K. Sripavan in Independence Square, Colombo at 6.20pm on 9 January 2015. After the new government established on 11 January 2015 After voting had finished election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya declared the poll to be "peaceful" and the election to be "free and fair". Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya |
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorNuwan Chinthaka Gajanayaka, Categories
All
Archives
June 2020
Buddhism A-Z
|