S.Lankan PM raps president for dissolution of parliament

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 11, 2004

S.Lankan PM raps president for dissolution of parliament

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Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the head of the caretaker government, has rapped President Chandrika Kumaratunga for her decision to dissolve the parliament as politically motivated, The Island newspaper said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a government group meeting on Tuesday, Wickremesinghe also strongly criticized President Kumaratunga for her appointing two former MPs of her own main opposition People's Alliance as ministers of his caretaker government.

He said that their appointments by the president was in violation of the country's constitution.

The prime minister also blamed the president for refusing to support his genuine attempts to cohabitate.

He expressed confidence that his government will return to power after winning the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

President Kumaratunga dissolve the Parliament and called a snapelection on April 2 mid night on Saturday. She did not give any reason for her decision.

The election is the third since October 2000 when the president's PA won a second term in the year's parliamentary elections.

However, her PA was defeated by Wickremesinghe's United National Party only one year later in a snap parliamentary election the president called due to massive crossover of her MPs.

Ever since then, Kumaratunga has been locked in an uneasy cohabitation with her arch political rival Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

Political differences between the two leaders reached climax early last November when President Kumaratunga seized control of three key ministries including the defense from the Wickremesinghegovernment.

Despite the efforts by the two sides to try to reach a compromise, no breakthrough had been made until the president's dissolution of the parliament.

Source: Xinhua

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