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Message: <blockquote data-quote="541100" data-source="post: 23733107" data-attributes="member: 494281">For the recordIn the run up to the election being called several names had been  suggested for nomination as the common opposition candidate: former  president <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrika_Kumaratunga" target="_blank">Chandrika Kumaratunga</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_National_Party" target="_blank">UNP</a> leader <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranil_Wickremesinghe" target="_blank">Ranil Wickremesinghe</a>, UNP Leadership Council Chairman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karu_Jayasuriya" target="_blank">Karu Jayasuriya</a>, former Chief Justice <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirani_Bandaranayake" target="_blank">Shirani Bandaranayake</a> and leader of the National Movement for Social Justice <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maduluwawe_Sobitha_Thero" target="_blank">Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-100" target="_blank">[100]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-101" target="_blank">[101]</a> However, on 21 November 2014, after the election had been called, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maithripala_Sirisena" target="_blank">Maithripala Sirisena</a>, was revealed as the common opposition candidate by the UNP.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-102" target="_blank">[102]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-103" target="_blank">[103]</a>  Sirisena had been Minister of Health in Rajapaksa's government and  general secretary of the SLFP before defecting to the opposition  coalition.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-104" target="_blank">[104]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-105" target="_blank">[105]</a>  Sirisena immediately received the support of former president Chandrika  Kumaratunga and several UPFA MPs that had defected alongside him (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duminda_Dissanayake" target="_blank">Duminda Dissanayake</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._K._D._S._Gunawardena" target="_blank">M. K. D. S. Gunawardena</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasantha_Senanayake" target="_blank">Wasantha Senanayake</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajitha_Senaratne" target="_blank">Rajitha Senaratne</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiva_Wijesinha" target="_blank">Rajiva Wijesinha</a>).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-106" target="_blank">[106]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-107" target="_blank">[107]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-108" target="_blank">[108]</a> Sirisena and the other UPFA MPs were stripped of their ministerial positions and expelled from the SLFP.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-109" target="_blank">[109]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-110" target="_blank">[110]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-111" target="_blank">[111]</a> On 30 November minister <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navin_Dissanayake" target="_blank">Navin Dissanayake</a> resigned from the UPFA government and defected to the opposition to support Sirisena.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-112" target="_blank">[112]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-113" target="_blank">[113]</a> Two deputy ministers, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palani_Digambaran" target="_blank">Palani Digambaran</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velusami_Radhakrishnan" target="_blank">Velusami Radhakrishnan</a>, resigned from the UPFA government on 10 December 2014 to support Sirisena.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-114" target="_blank">[114]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-115" target="_blank">[115]</a> Two other deputy ministers, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faiszer_Musthapha" target="_blank">Faiszer Musthapha</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandimithra_Ekanayake" target="_blank">Nandimithra Ekanayake</a>, resigned from the UPFA government, on 31 December 2014 and 1 January 2015 respectively, to support Sirisena.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-116" target="_blank">[116]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-117" target="_blank">[117]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-118" target="_blank">[118]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-119" target="_blank">[119]</a> Sirisena received the support of UPFA MP <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achala_Jagodage" target="_blank">Achala Jagodage</a> on 2 January 2015.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-120" target="_blank">[120]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-121" target="_blank">[121]</a> Sirisena has pledged to abolish the executive presidency within  100 days of being elected, repeal the controversial eighteenth  amendment, re-instate the seventeenth amendment and appoint UNP leader  Ranil Wickremasinghe as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Sri_Lanka" target="_blank">Prime Minister</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-122" target="_blank">[122]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-123" target="_blank">[123]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-124" target="_blank">[124]</a>  On 1 December 2014 Sirisena signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)  with 36 opposition parties/civic groups promising to abolish the  executive presidency, hold parliamentary elections, form an all-party  national government and carry out various political reforms.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-125" target="_blank">[125]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-126" target="_blank">[126]</a> Signatories to the MOU include the UNP, Sarath Fonseka's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(Sri_Lanka)" target="_blank">Democratic Party</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_People%27s_Front" target="_blank">Democratic People's Front</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azath_Salley" target="_blank">Azath Salley</a>'s Muslim Tamil National Alliance, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Media_Movement" target="_blank">Free Media Movement</a>, Federation of University Teachers Association as well as dissident groups of the LSSP and Communist Party.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-127" target="_blank">[127]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-128" target="_blank">[128]</a> The following day the JHU announced that it was supporting Sirisena in the presidential election.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-129" target="_blank">[129]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-130" target="_blank">[130]</a> On 30 December 2014 the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_National_Alliance" target="_blank">Tamil National Alliance</a>, the largest political party representing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Tamil_people" target="_blank">Sri Lankan Tamil people</a>, endorsed Sirisena.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-131" target="_blank">[131]</a> Sirisena is to contest as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democratic_Front_(Sri_Lanka)" target="_blank">New Democratic Front</a> (NDF) candidate under its swan symbol.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-132" target="_blank">[132]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-133" target="_blank">[133]</a> Common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka contested the 2010 presidential election as a NDF candidate under its swan symbol.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-134" target="_blank">[134]</a> Sirisena released his manifesto, titled A Compassionate Maithri Governance — A Stable Country, on 19 December 2014 at a rally at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viharamahadevi_Park" target="_blank">Viharamahadevi Park</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-135" target="_blank">[135]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-136" target="_blank">[136]</a>  The main pledge in the manifesto is the replacement of the executive  presidency with a Westminster style cabinet but the manifesto  acknowledges that Sirisena would need the support of the parliament to  amend the constitution.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-MSp14-137" target="_blank">[137]</a> The manifesto also makes a commitment to replace the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_list" target="_blank">open list</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation_system" target="_blank">proportional representation system</a> with a mixture of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting" target="_blank">first-past-the-post</a> and PR for electing MPs.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-MSp14-137" target="_blank">[137]</a> Parliamentary elections will be held in April 2015 after the constitution has been amended.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-138" target="_blank">[138]</a> Independent commissions will be established to oversee the judiciary, police, elections department, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditor-General%27s_Department_of_Sri_Lanka" target="_blank">Auditor-General's Department</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attorney-General%27s_Department_(Sri_Lanka)" target="_blank">Attorney-General's Department</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-MSp16-139" target="_blank">[139]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-Reu191214-140" target="_blank">[140]</a> The Commission on Bribery and Corruption will be strengthened and political diplomatic appointments annulled.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-MSp16-139" target="_blank">[139]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-Reu191214-140" target="_blank">[140]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-141" target="_blank">[141]</a>  Populist measures in the manifesto include a commitment to write-off  50% of farmers' loans, reduce fuel prices by removing taxes and a salary  increase of Rs.10,000 for public servants.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-Reu191214-140" target="_blank">[140]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-AN191214-142" target="_blank">[142]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-143" target="_blank">[143]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-144" target="_blank">[144]</a>  Public spending on health would increase from 1.8% of GDP to 3% of GDP  whilst that on education would increase from 1.7% of GDP to 6% of GDP.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-145" target="_blank">[145]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-146" target="_blank">[146]</a> The manifesto also states that the casino licences granted to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Packer" target="_blank">Kerry Packer</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Resort_(Sri_Lanka)" target="_blank">Crown Resort</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keells_Holdings" target="_blank">John Keells Holdings</a>'s Water Front will be cancelled.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-147" target="_blank">[147]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-148" target="_blank">[148]</a> Political victims during Rajapaks's rule, including Sarath Fonseka and Shirani Bandaranayake, would be re-appointed.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-AN191214-142" target="_blank">[142]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-149" target="_blank">[149]</a>  In a separate document Sirisena has pledged that, whilst  resisting any international investigation, he would establish an  independent domestic inquiry into the alleged war crimes during the  final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-Reu191214-140" target="_blank">[140]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_presidential_election,_2015#cite_note-150" target="_blank">[150]</a>සිරිසේන ගෙනාවට වඩා, මහින්ද එලවන්න කටයුතු කළා කියලනම් පිලිගන්නවා. උරෝ කැකුණ තලනකොට හබන් කුකුලොන්ට රජ මගුල් නිසා සිරිසේන මහින්ද එලවීමේ ප්‍රතිපලයක් විදියට ජනාධිපති උනේ.</blockquote>

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