Police provides protection to Vavuniya candidates

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 12:06 GMT]
Vavuniya Police Friday started providing security protection to candidates of political parties on their request. Two police personnel are deployed to provide protection to each candidate, said Vavuniya Police Headquarters Inspector Mr.R.M.Wijenayake.


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Monks' Sinhala Buddhist call will derail Kumaratunge - NSSP Leader

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 04:23 GMT]
Dr. Vickremabahu Karunarathne, the leader of the leftist Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), when asked if United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has any chance of getting absolute majority in the 2 April elections said that "with Buddhist Monks contesting separately, openly proposing 'Sinhala Buddhist' dictatorship, it is very unlikely that United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) could become first in any of the districts."


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"UPFA firmly committed to political dialogue with LTTE"

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 12:39 GMT]
“Within a short time of the formation of the Freedom Alliance government President Kumaratunge will call for the recommencement of the peace talks with the LTTE and also propose time frames for solving the problems concerned," said the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in a press release issued Friday in Colombo.


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UNF committed to achieve lasting peace - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 16:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe launching the election campaign on behalf of the United National Front (UNF) Thursday evening at Kandy, appealed to the people to vote for the UNF which he said is committed to taking the peace process forward, political sources in Kandy said. Mr Wickremesinghe said that his new government would strengthen the existing ceasefire, rebuild the economy and achieve lasting peace by working towards a fair and just political solution to the ethnic conflict.


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UPFA prepared to talk to LTTE - Kumaratunge

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 13:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday afternoon launching the election campaign of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at Anuradhapura said she is prepared to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to an evening news bulletin of the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). She, however, added that such talks should be held in an open manner, the news bulletin said.


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UPFA, UNP to launch election campaign Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 14:48 GMT]
Two major Sinhala political parties, United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and United National Party (UNP) led by Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe are to launch their election campaign with rallies scheduled to be held in Anuradhapura in the north central province and Kandy in central province on February 26 Thursday, political sources said.


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UNP, UPFA avoid Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 February 2004, 12:27 GMT]
The Returning Officer of the Jaffna electoral district Mr.S.Pathmanathan Tuesday accepted nomination lists from eight political parties and two independent groups to Contest the forthcoming general election fixed for 2 April, election department sources said.


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171 candidates vie for six Vanni seats

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 February 2004, 11:28 GMT]
Ten different registered parties and nine independent groups are presenting 171 candidates for the forthcoming elections in the Vanni district for six seats. In the last elections held in 2001, 207 candidates from 23 groups competed in Vanni, according to Vanni election offiicials.
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Ten groups compete in elections for Vanni district

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 10:26 GMT]
Vavuniya Government Agent (GA) and Vavuniya election officer, K.Ganesh, accepted nominations papers from three independent groups and seven different political parties for the Vanni electoral district comprising Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu districts, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Sri Lanka Elections: News Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 February 2004, 12:06 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) plans to submit nomination papers in the districts of NorthEast at the same time Monday noon, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is to compete in Jaffna alone, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission is exploring ways to help people in LTTE controlled areas to exercise their right to vote, EPDP and EPRLF (Varather faction) to contest jointly in Jaffna, and in Nuwara Eliya district Hill country Tamils to fight the elections in four fronts, popular Jaffna dailies Uthayan and Veerakesari reported in their Sunday Edition.
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SLMC rank and file in disarray following cross over

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 18:18 GMT]
The rank and file of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is in disarray following the formation of a new political party, Muslim National Front (MNF) and three former SLMC parliamentarians joining it, political sources said.


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SLFP-JVP alliance office bearers announced

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 14:09 GMT]
Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge was appointed President of the United Peoples Freedom Front (UPFA) at the first executive committee meeting of the UPFA held Tuesday at the Presidential secretariat. Presidential advisor Mr Anura Bandaranaike and Opposition Leader Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse were appointed national organizers of the UPFA and Mr.Nandana Gunatilake of the JVP was appointed chairman, the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its evening news bulletin Tuesday.


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LSSP, CP agree to join SLFP-JVP alliance

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Half a century old leftist political parties, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Communist Party (CP) agreed to join the recently formed United Peoples' Freedom Alliance. Leaders of LSSP and CP are to sign the Memorandum of Understanding in this regard with the leaders UPFA on Tuesday, sources said.


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UPFA ex-co to work out election strategy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 February 2004, 16:22 GMT]
The executive committee of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance(UPFA), formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). will meet Monday to work out the strategy to face the snap general election, which is to be held on April 2nd. Party sources said.
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EPDP to support JVP-SLFP alliance from outside

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 2004, 15:35 GMT]
Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), paramilitary group that works with the Sri Lankan armed forces in Sri Lanka’s northeast, said in a Memorandum that it agrees with the policies of the newly formed United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and that it would extend its support to the UPFA, political sources in Colombo said.
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Four Party Leaders sign pact with JVP-SLFP alliance

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 2004, 15:22 GMT]
Leaders of four political parties Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), National United Alliance (NUA), Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP) and Desha Vimukthi Janatha Peramuna (DVJP) Monday signed a pact with the newly formed United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at a ceremony held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference hall (BMICH), political sources said.


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Four political parties to join UPFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2004, 12:43 GMT]
Four more political parties, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP) and Deshiya Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (DJVP) have expressed willingness to join the recently formed political party United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). UPFA was formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom party and Sinhala nationalist-Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) with the objective of defeating the ruling United national Front government at the next general elections, political sources said.
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Kumaratunge's message read out at UPFA rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 January 2004, 16:07 GMT]
"The formation of United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA ) is a great victory for democracy in Sri Lanka," said Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge in her message to the maiden rally of the UPFA held Thursday evening in Colombo. Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which is a constituent of the UPFA, read out president's message at the rally, sources said.
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JVP for elections -Amarasingha

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 January 2004, 14:29 GMT]
Leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Mr. Somawansa Amarasingha, said Thursday his party is for holding general election in Sri Lanka soon, addressing a massive public meeting of the new alliance between the JVP and President Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Colombo.
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Anura Bandaranaike denies secrecy in SLFP-JVP pact

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2004, 12:15 GMT]
Peoples Alliance parliamentarian Mr.Anura Bandaranaike in a statement issued Friday denied any secrecy in the agreement signed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sinhala Nationalist Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in forming the United Peoples Freedom Alliance ( UPFA ).


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