APD | Sri Lanka Marxist party leader to contest Presidential polls

By APD writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, Aug. 19 (APD) - Sri Lanka Marxist party leader, on Sunday announced that he will be contesting Presidential polls later this year.

People's Liberation Front leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was named as a candidate at a rally held in Colombo.

This is the first time the People's Liberation Front, better known as the JVP, is nominating a Presidential candidate in nearly 20 years.

Nandana Gunatilake contested the Presidential elections in 1999 on behalf of the JVP and came third.

Thousands attended the rally in Colombo and greeted Dissanayake as he entered the venue after it was announced that he will be contesting the elections.

Speaking later Dissanayake assured that he will not betray the faith the public has placed on him.

He urged Sri Lankans to chose the right path at the upcoming elections.

Dissanayake noted that today there is a call for an alternative political force in Sri Lanka and his party will look to fill that space.

He said that the country can change only if the minds of the people change and that change must happen at the next election.

The JVP leader noted that the country is today divided based on race, religion, and sex.

However, he said the JVP will look to unite all communities and will also take steps to unite the entire nation.

Former Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the other candidate confirmed so far for the elections.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)