Govt. should run its full term – poll

TNS Lanka nationwide survey suggests that the majority do not want elections before they are due, but predicts President and UPFA will win convincingly if polls are held

An overwhelming majority (83%) say that the Government will emerge victorious at the next general election, “the administration’s successes on the military front being one of the main reasons for this prediction”.
And President Mahinda Rajapaksa is also expected to taste victory at the next presidential election, with almost 90 per cent of those polled believing that he will be voted in for a second term in office. The LMD-commissioned poll states, “he is admired for his efforts to bring to an end the almost three-decades-old conflict, while his leadership qualities also come in for praise.”

But according the latest (May 2009) edition of leading business magazine LMD, “the general public is not in favour of rushing to the polls – far better, they say, for the government and the President to run their full terms in office.”
Just over half of those who participated in the TNS Lanka survey, are not in favour of an early general election, although they say that, “the incumbent administration will be able to hold its majority in Parliament if it chooses to call an early general election.”
LMD continues: “A clear majority of participants speak with one voice on the question of an early Presidential election – 67 per cent are not in favour. A Presidential election should only be held once every six years, they say, once the President has completed his full term in office.”
The survey results conclude that if the President is to further improve his prospects of being elected for another six years, he should continue with his administration’s agri-development programmes. Participants also urge the President to address media intimidation and tackle the widespread practice of corruption.

The survey was carried out prior to Sunday’s defeat of terrorism and Monday’s confirmation of the killing of LTTE leader V Prabhakaran by government forces.