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"Tamils not interested in presidential polls"

V.S. Sambandan

Though the LTTE and the TNA have not called for a boycott, a low turnout of Tamils is likely

COLOMBO: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Thursday announced the "disinterest of the Tamils" in the November 17 Presidential elections after a meeting in rebel-held Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka.

The decision is likely to result in a low turnout from Sri Lankan Tamil voters, especially in the northern and eastern districts.

"Based on our experience during the past three-and-a-half years" when both the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the Opposition United National Party (UNP) were in power, "we have been pushed to the decision that we cannot have faith in either of the parties or their candidates," R. Sampanthan, Parliamentary group leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi, popularly known as the TNA, told presspersons, according to an LTTE release.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe are the main contestants in the elections. A total of 13 candidates are in the fray.

"We will not prevent the Tamil people from exercising their franchise. We do not have any intention of depriving the Tamils of their democratic rights, but it is our belief that the Tamil people, based on their experience, will not show any interest in the election," Mr. Sampanthan said.

Though the LTTE and the TNA have not called for a boycott, the position of "disinterest" is likely to translate into a low or negligent turnout of the Tamils, especially those in the rebel-held areas, the northern Jaffna peninsula and the eastern districts. According to political sources, registered Tamil voters in the northern and eastern districts comprise 1.2 million of the total 13.32 million voters.

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