Susil denies conspiracy exposed by MS to bring MR through national list

UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha yesterday slammed his party leader’s address to the nation on Tuesday and rejected President Maithripala Sirisena’s charge that there was a plot to bring ex President Mahinda Rajapaksa to parliament through the national list.

Premajayantha claimed that Rajapaksa could not be brought to Parliament through the UPFA national list because his name had not been forwarded to the Elections Commission ahead of the 2010 parliamentary election. Since the former President had not contested the 2010 parliamentary election either, there was no provision to bring him in through the national list in 2015, the UPFA General Secretary said.

It is possible for political parties to bring defeated candidates through their national lists for Parliament in the event of a vacancy created among its original nominees.

However analysts point out that former Presidnet Rajapaksa’s brother Basil Rajapaksa was brought to Parliament through the UPFA national list in 2007, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Anwer Ismail, who was then a minister in the Government.

Basil Rajapaksa who was resident in the US until his brother ran for President in late 2005, was not on the UPFA national list compiled by then President Chandrika Kumaratunga, under whose leadership the alliance contested its first parliamentary election in 2004. Ex President Rajapaksa’s younger sibling did not contest the parliamentary polls in 2004 on the UPFA ticket either, not being resident in Sri Lanka at the time. (DB)