Rajapakse vows to hold snap polls

The international community must realise that this is democracy. They must understand our position. We are seeking a mandate from the people.

Mahinda Rajapakse

colombo — Sri Lanka’s former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday vowed snap elections would go ahead to “seek a mandate from the people” after the president’s sacking of parliament plunged the country deeper into political turmoil.

President Maithripala Sirisena triggered the crisis two weeks ago by sacking prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Rajapakse in a power swap his rivals say is illegal.

Sirisena dismissed parliament on Friday and called new polls for January 5, throwing the island into fresh chaos as the US urged Sri Lanka to respect democratic processes. Wickremesinghe’s party had wanted parliament reconvened to prove he commanded a majority, but Sirisena refused and sacked the legislature instead, escalating a standoff between the rival factions. Rajapakse said “no one” could stop the polls going ahead.

“The election will go ahead and I am confident we will sweep the election,” he told reporters on Sunday in his first remarks since the polls were called. “The international community must realise that this is democracy. They must understand our position. We are seeking a mandate from the people.”

Rajapakse said he was meeting with lawyers ahead of a slew of legal challenges in the Supreme Court to his appointment and the polls. —