We’ll seek mandate for lasting peace,development: Rajapaksa

“We had sought the mandate to unite this country and now seeking peoples mandate to create lasting peace and development,” Rajapaksa said.

“The Government succeeded in liberating the motherland from terrorism,” he said. The President told the meeting that all progressive forces should unite to strengthen the programme of building the country which had been “liberated”.

Rajapaksa,while deciding on the Presidential elections to be held in January next year,said the decision was governed by the people¿s will during the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) annual convention last week.

When Rajapaksa sought the mandate publicly among the thousands of people who had congregated during the convention,the crowd in unison opted for holding of the Presidential polls first instead of Parliamentary elections by raising their hands.

At yesterday¿s meeting at his official residence,Rajapaksa told the ruling Alliance government members and representatives of 26 political entities supporting his Government,that lot of developmental work had been achieved.

There was not much enthusiasm when the President later asked those who preferred to have parliamentary elections first to raise their hands.

He said the Government succeeded in discharging a massive part of the work vested in it for six years,within four years. As such,in a democratic country,it is only through a poll that politics in the country should be changed,he said adding democracy had to be safeguarded.

“The President was confident that all these progressive forces would discharge their duties and responsibilities properly,” an official release said.

“We now want to take the country along a new direction. We will seek the mandate of the public to create a country that can compete with the rest of the world,” he said.

He said the opposition parties were taken into confidence on the issue. Later talking to reporters,a senior UFPA leader and cabinet minister Susil Premajayantha said the election commissioner has been notified of a presidential election.

Accordingly the dates for the nomination and those for the elections will be declared. Meanwhile,coalition members are gearing up their machinery to bring in awareness among the people on the Presidential elections.