Wickremanayake appointed new Lankan PM

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 November 2005, 07:09 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was sworn in as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka before SL President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday. At a ceremony held at the Temple Trees, Mr. Rajapakse sworn in him as the Prime Minister of his would-be appointed cabinet this morning. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of Buddhist Affairs till the election of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as the 5th executive president of Sri Lanka.
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UNP to hold postmortem on presidential poll defeat

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 November 2005, 17:20 GMT]
The working committee and parliamentary group of the main opposition United national Party (UNP) are to meet this week to decide its future course of action following the defeat at the presidential poll held on Thursday, Mr.Tissa Attanayake, UNP Assistant General Secretary said at a press briefing Sunday.
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New cabinet to be sworn in on Tuesday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 November 2005, 17:33 GMT]
New Cabinet of Ministers will be sworn in on Tuesday and all constituent political parties of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will be represented in the new Cabinet, Minister and Cabinet spokesman Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva said at a press briefing held at the Presidential Secretarial Saturday evening.


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Rajapakse swears in as new President of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 November 2005, 12:51 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the fifth executive President of Sri Lanka before the Chief Justice Sarath N Silva at the Presidential Secretariat at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Mahinda Rajapakse, who hails from the southern district of Hambantota, in his first symbolic speech said his priority was to begin talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and strengthen the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA).
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Norway offers to continue Sri Lanka Peace role

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 15:08 GMT]
Congratulating the newly elected Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Norwegian Minister of International Development, Mr. Erik Solheim, Friday said that the Norwegian goverment was looking forward to continuing its close cooperation with the new president and the Government of Sri Lanka in a wide range of areas, including support for the peace process. "Norway remains willing to facilitate the peace process in Sri Lanka for as long as the two parties request such assistance, and for as long as it is possible for Norway to play a constructive role," Solheim was quoted in a press release issued by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday.
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Rajapakse wins Sri Lankan Presidency

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 07:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline Prime Minister has been elected as country’s fifth President. Results released Friday by the election commission indicated Premier Mahinda Rajapakse had received almost 50.3% of the vote, with his main rival, opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, taking 48.4% in a hard fought race that has long been described as too close to call.
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Muttur east, Eachchilampathu voters ignore poll

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 18:39 GMT]
No votes were cast in the clustered polling stations located in the army controlled area beyond the Kaddaiparichchan army camp for Tamil voters registered in the villages in the LTTE held Muttur east at the presidential poll held Thursday. Only one vote was cast at a clustered polling station located beyond the Mahindapura army camp in the government controlled area for Tamil voters registered in the LTTE held Eachchilampathu division, sources said.


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Jaffna postal votes: Wickremesinghe comes up ahead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 16:25 GMT]
Of the 2326 postal votes in Jaffna district Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained 1405, Mahinda Rajapakse got 327, and total rejected votes were 441, election officials reported.


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Muttur residents hold demonstration against SLA embargo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 11:52 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil residents of LTTE held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district Thursday held demonstrations against the embargo imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on transporting essential food items, fuel and building materials through Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura army camps, sources in the east said.
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SL Presidential Polls: Near Fizzle-Out in North East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Very low attendance of voters was reported at the cluster-polling booths in the North-East as the voting in Sri Lanka to elect the fifth executive president began at 7:00 a.m Thursday. Situation in Jaffna remained calm in complete contrast to the polls eve marred with grenade attack incidents in the peninsula. At least six grenade incidents were reported in Batticaloa-Amparai. Two Tamil civilians were killed in Kalmunai. The voting continued till 4:00 p.m. Security was tightened throughout the country.


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Grenade explosions, tension mark election eve in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 22:49 GMT]
Tension prevailed in Jaffna, and streets were deserted at 7.00 p.m. as several grenade explosions marked the election eve. Unidentified assailants lobbed grenades at the offices of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) offices in Chavakacheri, Manipay, Achchuveli, Point Pedro and Mallakam where the EPDP intelligence operatives and supporters were reportedly co-ordinating plans for vote-rigging. EPDP has campaigned in favour of presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse.
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Jaffna election irregularities on voting eve

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 12:55 GMT]
Reports from Jaffna reveal intimidating and underhand activities of the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) cadres in organising vote-rigging in Sri Lanka Presidential election. Groups of armed EPDP cadres were seen visiting house to house forcibly collecting the 'ballot-tokens' from residents in islets off Jaffna peninsula, TamilNet learns. With armed protection from the State armed forces, Douglas Devananda's EPDP is holding unannounced short-meetings at market places and actively campaigning for Mahinda Rajapakse, the candidate of the ruling party.
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SLA soldiers dishonor GA permits at checkpoint -TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 18:08 GMT]
Soldiers manning the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division are not honoring permits issued by the Trincomalee Government Agent to non-governmental organizations and other agencies to take building materials to LTTE held areas to implement approved reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter faxed to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday.
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Uppukulam meeting violates Election Law

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 18:07 GMT]
An election rally in support of Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the UPFA, was held in Uppukulam in Mannar district Tuesday afternoon in contravention of the Election Law. Laws stipulate that electioneering should close on Monday midnight. General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has filed a complaint with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mannar sources said.
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EPDP cadre shot, injured in Kayts

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 10:42 GMT]
N Kumaran (31), a senior cadre of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Front (EPDP) sustained severe injuries to his head when unknown gunmen fired at him and his fellow cadres while they were distributing propaganda leaflets in support of Sri Lanka presidential contestant, Mahinda Rajapakse, in Kayts, Jaffna, a 1.30 p.m.Tuesday.
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UNP accuses SL Government of plans to sabotage Jaffna poll

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 17:55 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Monday charged Sri Lanka government of trying to disrupt a just and fair presidential poll in Jaffna district by sending nearly three hundred Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deserters to the district. Brigadier Sarath Munasinghe, former spokesperson for the SLA, addressing a press briefing Monday, said that the government has obtained the support of a paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) activist to sabotage the poll.


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Vadamaradchy East, Kilinochchi voters can exercise franchise freely- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 November 2005, 12:42 GMT]
"We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that voters residing in Liberation Tigers' controlled areas of Vadamaradchy east and Kilinochchi district can exercise their franchise with complete freedom without any requirement to produce identity cards," said Jaffna Government Agent and Jaffna District Election Returning Officer, K Ganesh, during a press meet held at the Jaffna Secretariat offices Sunday afternoon.
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SL Presidential candidates' asset details to remain private

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 14:31 GMT]
Free Media Movement expressed its "grave concern" on the decision made by the Election Commissioner to refuse to make public the assets, liabilities declarations of Sri Lanka's presidential candidates, in a press release issued in Colombo Tuesday.
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UPFA submits budget

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 13:04 GMT]
Finance Minister of the United Peoples Alliance (UPFA) government, Dr Sarath Amunugama, submitted Tuesday afternoon the second and the last budget under the Presidency of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in Sri Lanka Parliament, parliamentary sources said. Opposition United National Party (UNP), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) boycotted the event.
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Jaffna postal votes cast, said historic low

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 11:46 GMT]
Election officials at the Jaffna Secretariat said that less than 10% of those applied for postal voting cast their votes when the first day of postal voting completed on Monday. Although there is expected to be voting in some centers tomorrow, the election officials added that the numbers voted present a historic low for the district.
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