President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed the proclamation declaring his intention to hold a Presidential Election seeking another term.

Elections Department a short while ago confirmed that he had received the gazette notification pertaining to the Presidential Election. The move comes in the wake of the central committee meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) – which gave the approval last night to go for an election two years before the end of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term in office. Even the government printer was kept on stand-by last night till about 2.00 am to print the special gazette notification with regard to the election.

It was widely speculated that the election would be announced midnight yesterday (19) soon after the central committee meeting of the ruling party. However, the announcement came nearly twelve hours after the meeting.

The election, according to highly placed political sources, will be held before January 7. Most probably on January 3. The exact date of election will be officially announced by Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will contest as the presidential candidate of the ruling party and the candidates of the opposition are yet to be announced. The UNP, the main opposition party, will make a final decision on the matter on November 20 at a special Working Committee meeting.