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S.Lanka's Joint Opposition Calls for Withdrawal of Referendum
Sri Lanka's joint opposition renewed its call on Wednesday for the withdrawal of the referendum and reconvening of Parliament to enable the implementation of the democratic process one day after President Chandrika Kumaratunga decided to postpone the August 21 referendum to October, The Island newspaper said on Thursday.
The opposition said in a statement that the postponement of the referendum from August 21 to October 18 was an acceptance by President Chandrika Kumaratunga that she and her government no longer enjoyed the confidence of the people.
The opposition parties will continue with their individual campaigns against the government and are due to meet again on Friday to discuss the prospect for joint action.
Meanwhile, Leader of the opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe demanded that the president reconvene Parliament, cancel the referendum and allow the due process of democracy to take its rightful place in the war-torn country.
He claimed that Kumaratunga had completely lost credibility in the eyes of the people, adding that she had introduced a fraudulent and wasteful referendum to cling to power.
Kumaratunga suspended the parliament and called for the August 21 referendum on a new constitution on July 10 ahead of the vote for a no-confidence motion submitted to parliament by UNP against her government which it is almost certain to lose.
The government has lost its majority with 109 seats in the 225- member Parliament when the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress withdrew the government following dismissal of its leader Rauff Hakeem by Kumaratunga on June 20.
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