11-18-2005, 11:37 PM
Sri Lanka president-elect drops running mate from prime minister job
Associated Press, Fri November 18, 2005 07:40 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's president-elect has decided not to appoint Anura Bandaranaike, the country's tourism minister and brother of the outgoing president, to replace him as the new prime minister, a spokesman for the newly elected president said Friday.
Bandaranaike, who currently holds the posts of both tourism and investment minister, was Mahinda Rajapakse's running mate in Thursday's presidential poll. The two agreed to run on the same ticket when Rajapakse was named the ruling party's candidate for the Nov. 17 election.
But Bandaranaike had done little to support Rajapakse, and so there was no reason to name him prime minister, an official close to the new president said.
``There is no reason to give him the premiership,'' Trade Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said, after accompanying Rajapakse to an official declaration of his victory.
``He has not worked or supported the victory of Mr. Rajapakse, so why should he become prime minister?'' he said.
Bandaranaike and outgoing president Chandrika Kumaratunga have been at odds with Rajapakse over his tough stand on a peace deal with Tamil Tiger rebels that saw him tie up with a hard-line Marxist party and another led by powerful Buddhist monks in return for their support in the poll.
Fernandopulle did not say who would fill the prime minister's job.
He said, however, that parliament will not be dissolved after Rajapakse's post falls vacant on Saturday, when he takes an oath as Sri Lanka's fifth executive president.
Rajapakse was declared the winner of the election by a slim margin on Friday, defeating his chief opponent Ranil Wickremesinghe, who trod a softer line with the rebels.
http://www.theacademic.org/
Associated Press, Fri November 18, 2005 07:40 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's president-elect has decided not to appoint Anura Bandaranaike, the country's tourism minister and brother of the outgoing president, to replace him as the new prime minister, a spokesman for the newly elected president said Friday.
Bandaranaike, who currently holds the posts of both tourism and investment minister, was Mahinda Rajapakse's running mate in Thursday's presidential poll. The two agreed to run on the same ticket when Rajapakse was named the ruling party's candidate for the Nov. 17 election.
But Bandaranaike had done little to support Rajapakse, and so there was no reason to name him prime minister, an official close to the new president said.
``There is no reason to give him the premiership,'' Trade Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said, after accompanying Rajapakse to an official declaration of his victory.
``He has not worked or supported the victory of Mr. Rajapakse, so why should he become prime minister?'' he said.
Bandaranaike and outgoing president Chandrika Kumaratunga have been at odds with Rajapakse over his tough stand on a peace deal with Tamil Tiger rebels that saw him tie up with a hard-line Marxist party and another led by powerful Buddhist monks in return for their support in the poll.
Fernandopulle did not say who would fill the prime minister's job.
He said, however, that parliament will not be dissolved after Rajapakse's post falls vacant on Saturday, when he takes an oath as Sri Lanka's fifth executive president.
Rajapakse was declared the winner of the election by a slim margin on Friday, defeating his chief opponent Ranil Wickremesinghe, who trod a softer line with the rebels.
http://www.theacademic.org/
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