"No decision on general election yet"- SL President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 04:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Monday dismissed media speculation that the current parliament would be dissolved on January 26 in preparation to a fresh general election. "I have not taken any decision regarding holding a general election. However I have been studying several requests for a general election," said Ms.Kumaratunge at a conference held at the President's House Monday evening, according to Colombo sources.

Ms.Kumaratunge met with provincial councilors, electoral organizers, parliamentarians and heads of local authorities of the Peoples' Alliance (PA) in the Uva and North Western Provinces Monday and discussed with them in detail on holding provincial council elections as a prelude to the parliamentary elections, sources said.

Monday's discussion was the second one in a series of discussions she has had with party activists.

The first meeting was held Friday with party activists from Sabragamuwa and North Central provinces. President inquired at the meeting on the priority of holding elections to provincial councils and Sri Lanka parliament. Majority of activists opined to hold parliament election first and not provincial council election, sources said

Several leading party activists supported holding the general election first instead of provincial election at the Monday discussions.

Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is to meet her party organizers and parliamentarians representing southern and western provinces Tuesday.

Ms Kumaratunge further said at Monday discussions that she has not taken any decision to dissolve the current parliament on January 26. Several requests have been made by different parties to hold a general election.

One of the demands put forward by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna for the proposed political alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, main constituent of the PA, is that the President should agree to dissolve the current parliament within three weeks after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between them, political sources said.