General election on the cards

The government is likely to test the waters with an election after President Mahinda Rajapaksa completes two years in office.

Highly placed government sources told The Bottom Line that government was contemplating holding some sort of election and it was likely that it would be a parliamentary election.

Government thinking is that they should put an end to all allegations made by the opposition against the government and let the people decide for a mandate.
Since the government liberated the east from the LTTE, it is learnt that they will put forward a specific mandate to the people, on whether the government should end terrorism by marching to the north.

However, political analysts pointed out that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) would be in a difficult position, if the government goes for a fresh mandate, as the JVP would be obliged to support the government under such a circumstance, as defeating terrorism was high on the JVP agenda.

On the other hand, the United National Party (UNP) and other opposition parties would have to campaign against the rising cost of living, mismanagement and corruption and war and emphasise on the need for peace efforts.

“It is good to test the waters right now, without going along with the allegations levelled by the opposition against the government. If we give them a long time to harp on the allegations, people will think they are true,” SLFP sources said.

“What we are trying to do on the other hand, is to tell the masses to weigh both sides and decide to vote accordingly,” sources added.