Category: News

Ranil Wickremesinghe signs nominations for Presidential Election

Posted on | by TELO Admin

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has signed his nomination papers today (14) to contest the upcoming Presidential Election.

He has signed the nomination papers at his political office in Flower Road, Colombo.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Ali Sabry, Kanchana Wijesekera, Bandula Gunawardena and other government MPs were also present on the occasion.

On July 26, President’s Counsel Ronald Perera had placed bonds on behalf of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to contest the forthcoming Presidential Election as an independent candidate..

President Wickremesinghe had confirmed that he will contest the upcoming Presidential Election as an independent candidate, while addressing a public meeting held in Galle, on July 27.

The deadline for the placing of deposits for the candidates contesting the 2024 Presidential Election had concluded at 12 noon today (14). The Election Commission has stated that in total 40 individuals have placed deposits to contest the upcoming presidential election.

The acceptance of nominations for the upcoming presidential election is scheduled to begin tomorrow (15) from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. at the Election Secretariat Rajagiriya.

Patali Champika to support Sajith in Presidential Election

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The leader of the United Republic Front (Eksath Janaraja Peramuna) MP Patali Champika Ranawaka had signed agreement to support SJB leader Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Presidential Election.

The relevant agreement was signed by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on behalf of the SJB and former Minister Champika Ranawaka on behalf of the United Republic Front.

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Four out of five Moneragala MPs for Ranil

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The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members of Parliament, Provincial Council members and Local Government members of the Moneragala District have decided to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Presidential Election.

The public representatives of those parties reached this decision during a discussion held at the Moneragala Silanrich Hotel under the patronage of the ruling party’s chief organiser, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

04 out of 05 Pohottu MPs representing the Moneragala district were present for the discussion.They are MPs Jagath Pushpakumara, Vijitha Berugoda, Gayashan Navananda and Kumarasiri Ratnayake.

Moneragala District Former Member of Parliament Former Moneragala District Leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Former Cabinet Minister Sumedha G. Jayasinghe also joined this occasion in support of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s victory.

The number of local government bodies in the Moneragala district is 10. All those local government bodies are in the Pradeshiya Sabha. 102 members of the Pohottuwa representing the Local Government bodies of Moneragala district participated in this discussion.

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Athaullah pledges support to President

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Parliamentarian A.L.M. Athaullah and the National Congress, which he leads, have pledged their support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the upcoming Presidential election.

Athaullah and his representatives met the President today to formally announce their backing.

He expressed confidence in the President’s approach to resolving the country’s ethnic issues, emphasising that addressing economic and political challenges is crucial.

During the meeting, the National Congress presented a proposal outlining their suggestions for resolving the ethnic problem.

40 Candidates Place Deposits for Presidential Election

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The Election Commission has announced that 40 candidates have deposited their securities for the upcoming presidential election.

The acceptance of nominations will take place tomorrow morning from 9 to 11 AM.

Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that individuals will also have the opportunity to submit objections from 9 to 11:30 AM.

In preparation for the event, Acting Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ruwan Gunasekara has confirmed that a special security and traffic program will be implemented around the Election Commission in Rajagiriya tomorrow.

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Bathiudeen’s ACMC to support Sajith

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Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) MP Rishad Bathiudeen has pledged his party’s support to the opposition leader and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Presidential Election.

On August 07, Rishad Bathiudeen’s ACMC had said it would announce the candidate the party will support in the upcoming presidential election on August 14.

The leader of the ACMC, former minister Bathiudeen, stated that this decision was taken during the party’s Supreme Council meeting on August 6.

He had stated that since the ACMC is still in the ‘Samagi Jana Sandanaya’, they would continue participate in the alliance’s meetings.

He had also stated that both the SJB and President Ranil Wickremesinghe had requested the ACMC for support ahead of the presidential poll.

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Identification underway of remains found from Kokkutuduvai mass grave

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The identification is now underway of the skeletal remains unearthed from the Kokkutuduvai mass grave in Mullaitivu, said JMO Kanagasabapathi Vasudeva.

He informed the magistrate’s court there on 08 August that remains belonging to 52 persons had been unearthed by 15 July.

Later, speaking to the media, Dr. Vasudeva said their gender, ages, heights etc. would have to be determined.

Twenty-five of the skeletal remains had been sent to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for examination, he said.

A detailed forensic report is expected within six months, added the JMO.

Forensic archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva informed the court in March that the skeletons belonged to LTTE members who had been hurriedly buried following a firefight in the mid-1990s.

Samples have also been obtained for DNA testing, as there are several sworn affidavits filed with that request, said lawyer V.S. Niranjan.

The case will be taken up again on 27 September.

Water supply workers digging to lay pipelines stumbled upon the gravesite on 29 June 2023.

Five Sri Lankans Fighting For Russia Detained in Ukraine

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It has been reported that five Sri Lankan individuals fighting for Russia, have been detained in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has relayed this information officially to the Sri Lankan embassy in Ankara, said Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry.

Prompt actions have been taken by the Ministry to inform the relatives of the detained.

In a bid to address the situation, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara has initiated dialogue with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, seeking to navigate the complexities of the conflict and the situation of the Sri Lankans.

It has been confirmed that 17 Sri Lankan nationals have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Double Trouble for Namal as Sri Lanka Nominations Set to Close

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The heir apparent of the Rajapaksa dynasty will face an unusual challenge in the September 21 presidential election, with his loyalists confronted by another Namal Rajapaksha on the ballot paper.

With 36 candidates having paid their deposits to get on the ticket by Tuesday evening and one more day left to pay, the 2024 ballot paper is set to be the longest yet.

Adding two Namals with the same last name makes the voting slip potentially the most confusing—at least for Namal’s loyalists. Fielding candidates with names similar to main contenders has been a tried-and-tested tactic before, notably by the Rajapaksas themselves.

In 2015, the Rajapaksas not only fielded another “Sirisena” in an attempt to confuse voters of Maithripala Sirisena—the opposition’s common candidate—but also gave him a makeover to resemble the man from Polonnaruwa.

The gimmick may not have fooled many, but the duplicate Sirisena — A. R. Sirisena—ended up finishing third, albeit with a huge gap, garnering 18,174 votes, or 0.15 percent of the total.

The Namal Rajapaksha entering the September election is a known spoiler. His name, when written in Sinhala, is identical to that of the scion of the Rajapaksa clan. Few will notice the slight difference in the English spelling—this Namal has an “h” in the family name, RajapaksHa.

In the 2015 poll, Rajapaksha, who tried to siphon off some votes from the family patriarch, Mahinda, ended up coming fourth, just behind the fake Sirisena, with 14,379 votes. In the 2019 presidential election, Rajapaksha’s ability to woo real Rajapaksa voters appeared to have diminished, with his votes dropping to 9,497.

Rajapaksha’s symbol in 2015 was the old-style rotary telephone, which is now the sign of Sajith Premadasa’s SJB party. This time, Namal Rajapaksha is contesting from the Samabima Party, whose symbol is an envelope.

Apart from battling dissension within the once-monolithic party, the Rajapaksa prince-in-waiting will have to contend with deception, misdirection, and obfuscation—all key traits of a successful Sri Lankan politician.

Rajitha Senaratne pledges support to President Ranil

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Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kalutara District MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has met President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Gangarama Seema Malaka, a short while ago, and pledged his support for the upcoming presidential election.

President Wickremesinghe and MP Senaratne also signed an agreement on the matter during the event.

Speaking to the media, Senaratne said he will work to ensure the victory of President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the 2024 Presidential Election.

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