Protests organised against former Sri Lankan President’s nomination

Several trade unions and patriotic movements have decided to hold a protest campaign against the decision to nominate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the forthcoming election, local media reports said.

The trade union collective is scheduled to hold the protest opposite the Colombo Fort Railway Station on 3 July at 3.00 p.m.

The convener of the trade union collective, Saman Rathnapriya, noted that the people of this country rejected former President Rajapaksa at the January presidential elections. He said that the former president continued to propagate racism.

Meanwhile, the street drama troupe ‘Weediye Virodaya’, which came under attack several times by Rajapaksa supporters during the January 2015 presidential election, said that if the former president contests elections, a number of civil organisations were prepared to defeat him.

The drama group, which campaigned for the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena during the presidential election, said there was an emerging attempt to betray the public victory under the guise of building the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. However, they said, President Sirisena would not be a part of the betrayal.

The group said the attempt to betray the public victory on 8 January  should be defeated with courage and as a first step a protest would be launched on 10 July  under the title ‘Black March and Black Protest’.

On Wednesday Rajapaksa announced that he would contest the upcoming elections but did not say from which party.

President Sirisena has assured that Rajapaksa would not be given nominations as the prime ministerial candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, leaving room for speculation as to whether the former president will receive party nominations to contest the 17 August polls.