Architect of Tamils defeat enters Sri Lanka presidential race

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)