Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse seeks re-election in snap polls Thursday Nov 20,2014

 

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse declared on Thursday Nov 20,2014 he would seek an unprecedented third term at elections which will be held against a backdrop of growing international pressure over his rights record.

Confirmation that Rajapakse would stand for re-election came in a brief statement from his office that said he had signed a "proclamation declaring his intention to hold a Presidential Election seeking another term".
The proclamation was sent to the chief elections commissioner, who will set the exact date.

The election is being held two years ahead of schedule. Under the constitution, the incumbent is allowed to call fresh polls after completing four of his six years in office.
It is the first time that a president has sought a third term since Sri Lanka,the former British colony, which lies at the foot of India, adopted a presidential system in 1978.
 


The Sri Lankan Govt is keen to hold the ballot before a scheduled visit by Pope Francis from January 13 to 15,2015

Mahinda Rajapakse,the 69-year-old, South Asia's longest serving leader, announced he would seek a fresh mandate two years before the expiry of his current six-year term by contesting a snap poll expected only days before the pope visit in Jan 2015

Despite recent electoral setbacks for his left-wing nationalist party(Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance vote share plummeted by over 20 % at local elections in September as it suffered its worst performance since he came to power in 2005) Rajapakse remains generally popular with majority Sinhalese voters after overseeing the end of a 37-year war against Tamil separatists in 2009.
However the spectacular military success also sparked war crimes allegations, and Rajapakse's administration is facing an international probe ordered by the UN Human Rights Council in line with a US-led resolution in March. His ongoing two-year chairmanship of the Commonwealth has also been overshadowed by the allegations.
Mahinda Rajapakse has consistently refused to cooperate with international investigations, a stance that has strengthened his nationalistic credentials at home.
However, there are signs of growing disquiet over his failure to deliver on a promise to return the country to a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy by abolishing the all-powerful executive presidency.
His sacking of the chief justice in 2013 sparked protests at home and abroad, fuelling accusations of authoritarianism.