Sri Lankan president kicks off re-election campaign

With Sri Lanka's main opposition making former Army chief General Sarath Fonseka as their common candidate in the forthcoming presidential election, President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed a strong committee to kick off his re-election campaign, officials close to the president said on Saturday.

The committee, led by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and Rajapakse's younger brother Basil Rajapakse, has already commenced its election campaign since Nov. 25, officials from the presidential secretariat said.

The main target of the committee is to tap the votes of the rural masses. Senior Cabinet ministers have been asked to meet all their party supporters and strengthen their party activities at village level.

President Rajapakse has said that though there was a common candidate from the opposition, he would be the country's common candidate who knows the heart beat of all ethnic communities.

Fonseka, who was silence about his arrival into politics, has confirmed that he would be the opposition's common candidate at the forthcoming presidential poll.

He said he would announce his future plans at his first media conference on Sunday.

The presidential election will be held on Jan. 26 next year and the nominations will be made on Dec. 17.

Source: Xinhua