Sri Lankan former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka is to form a new political party soon to accelerate his campaign against incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse in the presidential polls next year, sources close to Fonseka said Wednesday.
The sources said Fonseka will lead the opposition as their common candidate under a new symbol.
The newly formed Opposition Alliance — United National Front (UNF), Sri Lanka’s leftist party JVP or the People’s Liberation Front and all other Tamil minority parties who had discussions with Fonseka had agreed to support him at the forthcoming presidential election.
Carrying their main slogan — "abolition of executive presidency", all the opposition political parties agreed to have acaretaker government with a temporary Cabinet.
JVP spokesman Vijitha Herath told reporters on Wednesday that his party would not join the UNF but would support Fonseka who represents a new political party.
"There would not be a prime minister and the new cabinet would last only for two months," Herath said.
He said the opposition political parties had agreed to implement the 17th Amendment of the constitution to set up independent Police Commission and Election Commission before the General Election scheduled to be held in April.
He invited all "patriotic political parties" and individuals to rally around the war winning general who led the military to end Asia’s longest war in May this year.
While Fonseka still mumbles on his decision of being the opposition’s common candidate, the UNF said they would steer the election propaganda for Fonseka through a new committee with the support of all other parties.
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