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Rajapakse named for President

V. S. Sambandan

SLFP chooses Anura Bandaranaike as Prime Minister candidate in next poll

COLOMBO: The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) on Thursday officially named Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse as its candidate for the next Presidential election, and said President Chandrika Kumaratunga would lead the poll campaign.

The SLFP also announced that senior Cabinet Minister Anura Bandaranaike (Ms. Kumaratunga's younger brother) would be the Prime Minister "when Mr. Rajapakse becomes President."

Chandrika for campaign

Announcing the decision taken earlier in the day by the party's central committee, Government spokesperson Nimal Sripala De Silva said Ms. Kumaratunga had decided the candidature of Mr. Rajapakse. "It was her wish that Mahinda Rajapakse, our Prime Minister, be the Presidential candidate. The campaign will be led by none other than the President to ensure that [the Leader of the Opposition United National Party and former Prime Minister] Ranil Wickremesinghe is defeated".

Poll plank to be decided

The poll plank of the SLFP, Mr. De Silva said, would be decided by a committee which would "formulate our new policy based on a review of its present positions."

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