- will there be a stage-managed post election violence?
Jan 24, Colombo: State-owned electronic media in Sri Lanka warned the public about possible post election violence stage-managed by the opposition in an attempt to belittle the sure victory of president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election on January 26th.
- Sri Lanka opposition warns of election coup
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka's opposition on Sunday accused the ruling regime of plotting a coup in anticipation of being voted out, heightening tension ahead of the island's first peace-time presidential poll.
The allegations raised the prospect of street protests and a potentially violent power struggle in the country's first election since Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated last year, ending their 37-year fight for independence.
The ruling party led by President Mahinda Rajapakse denied the charges by opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka (picture) and said it expected to win fairly in Tuesday's contest against the former army chief.
Campaigning throughout by Rajapakse and Fonseka -- former allies who defeated the Tigers in a military campaign dogged by war crime allegations -- has been bitter and personal.
"In the face of inevitable defeat, the Rajapakse regime, according to reliable information, seems to be conspiring to thwart the democratic process," said Mangala Samaraweera, a former foreign minister and backer of Fonseka.
Fonseka highlighted alleged plans to impede the election commissioner and preparations to disrupt the media as evidence of a coup plot.
Security sources confirmed to AFP that several key army commanders and a senior police official had been transferred from their usual positions, but none of the other claims could be immediately verified.
The government denied any intention to subvert the electoral process.
"The opposition is making baseless allegations to justify their defeat," Rajapakse's spokesman Chandrapala Liyanage said. "We will have a peaceful election and all indications are that the president is comfortably ahead."
However, the president suffered a major defection when the matriarch of his party pledged support for Fonseka.
"I took the decision to end four years of silence, as I am deeply concerned about the violence, intimidation and corruption," Chandrika Kumaratunga told reporters and urged her supporters to vote for Fonseka.
Kumaratunga is a key member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent in the ruling coalition.
In the run-up to the poll, police say at least four people have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes between the factions. The house of an influential opposition figure was bombed on Friday.
The 64-year-old Rajapakse is from the majority Sinhalese ethnic group, and called Tuesday's vote after only four years of his six-year mandate in a bid to harness a groundswell of support after the victory over the Tigers.
Fonseka is a political novice whose popularity and influence also rose with the military victory.
The 59-year-old dashed Rajapakse's hopes of an easy ride back to power by deciding to run as an opposition candidate.
The retired four-star general accused the president of sidelining him after the war and making false accusations that he was plotting a coup.
Both men remain dogged by allegations of war crimes and whoever eventually triumphs will have to contend with pressure from the United Nations and Western nations to submit to a probe.
The United Nations says 7,000 Tamil civilians may have died in the final months of the fighting, though the government denies this. Independent journalists were not given access to the war zone.
The UN estimates 80,000-100,000 people were killed in the conflict since 1972.
The minority Tamils, on whose behalf the Tigers waged their war of suicide bombings and assassinations, might swing the final result if the two candidates split the Sinhalese vote equally.
"Tamils could decide the next president," said political analyst Victor Ivan of the Ravaya weekly in Colombo.
Rajapakse was also widely criticised by European countries, the US and the UN for holding 300,000 Tamil civilians in restricted camps until the end of last year.
Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said they would take to the streets in protest if the government acted against the will of the people.
Source : AP
