Colombo: Two days before turning 79, two-time former president and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa vowed on Saturday that he would “not to quit politics” just yet.
This was Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first reaction since his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) suffered a crushing defeat, securing only 3 percent of the vote in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, while the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) gained full control of the House.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, hailed as a hero by the Sinhala majority for ending the LTTE separatist war in the Tamil-dominated regions, will turn 79 on Monday.
Mahinda Rajapaksa served two terms as president from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2010 to 2015. He also held the position of prime minister for two terms — from April 2004 to November 2005 and again from 2019 to 2022.
He has been contesting parliamentary elections since 1970 and had been elected an MP in all the elections he contested except in 1977.
“No, we will not easily quit politics, we will keep on fighting,” he said responding to a question as he attended an SLPP meeting at party headquarters.
The mandate received by the NPP must be respected, he said, adding, “The new faces must be allowed to govern.” He had earlier declared not to contest the Wednesday’s election from the north western Kurunegala district which he has represented.
In fact, all the Rajapaksa brothers — Mahinda, Gotabaya, Chamal and Basil — had declared not to contest the parliamentary election after decades-long representation.
The heir to the Rajapaksa dynasty, Namal, too had opted out of the direct contest by placing his name on the cumulative votes polled national list of members of parliament.
Namal was on Saturday appointed to the new parliament from the national seat allocation for the SLPP.
A leader who seemed electorally unassailable once was unceremonially ousted at the height of the 2022 economic crisis leading to violent street protests. He resigned as prime minister when his supporters violently attacked peaceful protestors.
(with agency inputs)
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