Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka's former Army chief known for his pivotal role in the military campaign that defeated the LTTE, formally announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election on Thursday (25). Fonseka vowed to eliminate corruption and revitalise the economy as key pillars of his campaign.
The presidential election in Sri Lanka is set to take place between September 17 and October 16, with the official date to be announced on Friday (26).
"I wish to announce my candidacy for the presidency to the people of Sri Lanka," Fonseka said in a post X.
"For 76 years, we have been led by an inept political group that has driven us to bankruptcy. For Sri Lanka to grow, we need to crush corruption. We need to leverage our natural resources to boost income generation. This is my formal and official announcement as the presidential candidate of Sri Lanka for the 2024 presidential election," he said.
Fonseka, who defeated the LTTE’s separatist campaign to create a Tamil state, was the opposition's main challenger in the 2010 presidential election against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. He suffered a crushing defeat then.
Fonseka, 73, said he was inviting all Sri Lankans to make the forward march to make the island a corruption-free nation.
Justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe also announced his candidacy for the election.
“This election would be crucial for the nation’s future”, Rajapakshe said making a statement. He said he would continue to hold his ministerial job while announcing his candidacy.
Already the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and the Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake have said they would be contestants.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe will also be seeking re-election.
The Elections Commission announced on July 19 that the date for the presidential election will be declared on Friday.
The commission said that it holds no responsibility for remarks made by various individuals and parties on the day of the presidential poll, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. (PTI)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.