The battle for top slots within the local councils continued this week, with the main parties yet to finalise their nominations which have to be handed over next week.
Though the Elections Commissioner had called for nominations since last Thursday, most political parties are yet to finalise their candidates, in order to hand over their nominations before August 25.
Election posters of likely candidates in areas including Colombo and in Kotte-Sri Jayawardhanapura where polls are being held, have already appeared. Even before nominations have been finalized, some of the likely candidates have ‘thrust’ their eligibility as mayoral candidates in posters. In the Kotte area, at least two candidates are pre-empting their selection for the mayoral stakes.
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| The question is not who will win the Colombo Municipal Council, but who will be the lead candidate from the two main parties -- the UPFA and the UNP |
Though the UPFA claims that it has not yet decided on the nomination lists, the Sunday Times learns that the party has already finalised its lists yesterday and will not announce its mayoral candidates, except for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). The Party, if victorious, will appoint the mayor at the end of the polls. Subject to the finalisation of its nominations, the UPFA is to hand over nominations from August 23 to 25.
The task of the nomination board is to select the people who will contest, but as to who will become the mayor, is a matter for the party to declare, said Minister John Seneviratne who is on the nomination board.
“Although there are quite a number of female candidates who are willing to contest, we are considering them on the basis of their capability to win. When considering candidates for nomination, we examine their service to the party and the public. Since there are priorities given to youth in the nomination list, we endeavour to field eligible youths in every local government authority, ” he said.
In view of a large number of nomination lists being rejected, for Local Government (LG) elections in the recent past, Minister Seneviratne said a team of party lawyers have been entrusted to scrutinise the applications to avoid such situations.
“Quite a number of members, who have crossed over, applied to contest, and we have considered some of them,” said Minister Seneviratne.
Former CMC, Chief Administrator Omar Kamil and former Minister Milinda Moragoda are among the key contenders for the CMC elections.
Former Deputy Mayor Azath Sally was also in the running. However, earlier this week, action was filed against him in court over an alleged fraud.
Mr. Sally who was due to meet the President, along with other members, on Friday, did not turn up, but later told the President that his absence was because legal action had been instituted against him and it would have tarnished the President’s image.
However Mr. Sally is set to contest the elections.
Mr. Sally claimed that he has offered two options to the UPFA for his candidature. He will contest as a mayoral candidate or if the party decides to run without a mayoral candidate, whereby the candidate who secures the highest number of preferential votes be appointed mayor of Colombo.
“I’m prepared to challenge at any contest and acquire the most number of votes to be appointed mayor. There are many trying to sling mud at me, but I will not give up,” he added.
Mr. Kamil said that the final decision has not been reached as yet, adding that, “There were sections who were calling me up to come forward to contest, and the posters in Colombo City is the result of such reactions. However, the party has yet to decide,” he said.
The UNP decided on the nominations and the mayoral candidate to the CMC yesterday. Accordingly, its General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that until the nominations are handed over, the mayoral candidates will not be announced.
“We will definitely announce the mayoral candidate for the CMC once the nominations, which will be signed on August 23, are handed over on August 24 or 25,” he said.
The UNP is considering fielding female candidates as well and the party is trying to accommodate them, but since there is a problem with the youth candidates, we are hoping to accommodate female youth candidates, said UNP Parliamentarian and nomination board member Joseph Michael Perera.
The Sunday Times learns that the UNP has considered the applications of three short listed candidates as mayoral candidate - those of A.J.M. Muzammil, Mohammed Maharoof, C.P.Y. Ram, Ajith Pathirana and former Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku.
A.J.M. Muzammil, presently UNP Western Provincial Council (WPC) member said he was confident that he will be nominated as mayoral candidate for the CMC. “If I get the opportunity to contest as a mayoral candidate, I’m willing to resign from the WPC, in order to win the CMC for the party,” he said.Ex-UNP Parliamentarian Mohammed Maharoof said that he too was hopeful of being selected as mayoral candidate for the CMC.
“My electorate is based in Colombo Central and I will be conducting campaigns all around Colombo city. I can assure that the UNP will win the elections.” he said.
Former UNP Parliamentarian Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar who was also said to be a contender said that, though his name had been put forward as a possible mayoral candidate, he has not made any application.
“I will consider contesting if the party requests” he added.
Meanwhile, the JVP with its theme of ‘Acting Against Bribery and Corruption’, has finalised nominations for all 23 local authorities and has decided to hand over its nominations by August 24.
The JVP has also announced its mayoral candidates for some of the popular municipalities.
JVP MP and Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath told the Sunday Times that, PC member Sunil Wattagala and Samanmalee Gunasinghe have been selected mayoral candidates for the CMC and the Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia Municipality respectively.
“Both the UPFA and the UNP are parties involved in bribery and corruption. Therefore, as an alternate party, we will act as a constraint, and work among people for their benefit,” said MP Herath.
The SLMC, victorious in Kalmunai in 2006, securing the Urban Council with 22,361 votes and 10 seats, is in alliance with the UPFA for the forthcoming election, but in select areas it would remain independent. The party will hand over its nominations on August 24.
“We will contest on our own in Colombo, Kotte, Kalmunai, Kandy, Matale, Galle and Negombo,” said SLMC leader Minister Rauff Hakeem. He elaborated that the SLMC would not be announcing mayoral candidates at nominations or at election campaigns, but will elect the mayor subject to both capacity and popularity after the elections.
The SLMC intends to conduct house-to-house campaigns, public meetings and especially focus on pocket meetings to achieve its victory at the LG polls.
DPF Leader Mano Ganesan told the Sunday Times that his party has not reached a final decision. He revealed that the DPF would be contesting jointly with three other parties at the forthcoming LG elections and that discussions were continuing.
No UNP nominees yet for top slots in Colombo, Kandy MCs
The opposition UNP postponed its decision on picking a Mayoral candidate for both Colombo and Kandy when the party's nomination board met yesterday.
The Sunday Times learns that a considerable amount of time was spent on going through the selection for the hill capital of Kandy which the UNP controls. Former Mayor Kesara Senanayake's name was considered by the nomination board headed by party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, but a legal tangle prevented the board from giving him the nod to contest.
Mr. Senanayake had been found guilty of a criminal offence while serving as Mayor, but very recently received a Presidential pardon from President Mahinda Rajapaksa paving the way for him to contest the forthcoming election. The UNP legal advisers however pointed out that a Presidential pardon is covered by Article 34 of the Constitution, but that sub-section 1 and sub-section 2 refer to free or conditional pardons, and that the pardon he has received may not permit him to contest the elections. The decision to nominate Mr. Senanayake, a son of the former MP, Mayor of Kandy and Cabinet minister E.L.
Senanayake was deferred on the basis that it may not be ‘safe’ to nominate him with two other names Mayantha Dissanayake, son of former UNP Minister Gamini Dissanayake and brother of Minister Naveen Dissanayake and Harindra Dunuwila, a former Mayor of Kandy also mentioned as likely nominees of the party.
Meanwhile, the UNP nominated Ms. Sunethra Ranasinghe as its Mayoral candidate for the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and Chandra Karunaratne for the Nuwara Eliya MC.
The Government was yet to announce its own candidates for these councils. |
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