Presidential nominations filed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 1999, 15:41 GMT]
Thirteen candidates have filed nominations for the Sri Lanka's Presidential elections next month said sources at the Elections Commissioner's office today. The number is a record they said.

They said six candidates contested the presidential polls in November 1994.

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga enters the Election's Commissioner's office to file her nomination papers. Photo: AP

Two of these, apart from President Chandrika Kumaranatunga Bandaranaike, are contesting again.

They are Mr. Hudson Samarasingha and Mr. Harischandra Wijetunga, the leader of the Sinhala nationalist group, the Mahasammata Bhoomiputra Pakshaya.

Mr. Hudson Samarasingha who is contesting as an independent candidate was a confidante of for Sri Lankan President Ranasingha Premadasa.

Two other independents, Tennyson Edirisooriya and W.V.M Ranjit have also filed nominations.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Katchi is only minority party to field a candidate. Its little known leader Abdul Rasool is contesting.

Three little known Sinhala groups have also filed nominations.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the opposition and the United National party, waves to his supporters after filing his nomination papers.Photo: AP

They are the People's Freedom Front ( Alwis Weerakody Premawardana), Democratic United National Front (Ariyawansa Dissanayaka) and People's Liberation Solidarity Front ( Kamal Karunadasa).

The People's Liberation Solidarity Front is a breakaway group of the JVP.

Some analysts say the JVP can be expected to garner around 7 percent of the Sinhala vote although it has fielded a little known candidate.

Political observers said that some of minor groups and independent candidates may have been covertly encouraged by the UNP and the ruling party to split each other's vote banks in some key Sinhala constituencies of the island.