Sri Lanka's president hit by defection

Sri Lanka's president suffered a major defection on Sunday when the matriarch of his party pledged support for the main opposition candidate ahead of Tuesday's fiercely contested election.

Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga met the common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka, a former army general, and endorsed his bid to oust incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse.

"I took the decision to end four years of silence, as I am deeply concerned about the violence, intimidation and corruption," Kumaratunga told reporters and urged her supporters to vote for Fonseka.

Kumaratunga is a key symbol of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent in the ruling coalition.

The socialist SLFP was founded by her late prime minister father, who was succeeded by his widow, who also went on to become the world's first elected woman premier in 1960. Kumaratunga took over the party in 1993.

Campaigning for Tuesday's presidential election ended Saturday night with both Fonseka and Rajapakse expressing confidence of winning amid a highly personal and bitter contest between the two sides.

The two men were the architects of the government's victory over Tamil Tiger rebels, whose 37-year violent struggle for a Tamil homeland was crushed in May.

Kumaratunga's family has strong support among SLFP activists and her endorsement is seen as a boost to Fonseka, who is backed by the right-wing United National Party as well as the Marxist JVP, or People's Liberation Front.

"Our party has deteriorated in recent years and I see an opportunity to revive it through a change of the present culture of violence, intimidation, corruption and nepotism," she said.

Police and troops impeded journalists attending Kumaratunga's meeting with Fonseka at her ancestral home outside the capital. The media bus was searched by heavily armed troops before it was stopped a second time by police.

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[chill9280]

are you coming back to fkup the country again. pl stay where you are.

[mettewm]

who cares what this polluted woman says.she never did anything good for the country but put country to more misery. chandrika, ranil are highclass people of country who conspire to put country into misery and rob money out of that miseries. all of the past elites made a lot of money out of the war which mahinda rajapakse ended recently out of his true love for the country and poor people of this country.

[TamilSwaminator]

Looks like she is off her psychotic medication again. Please take your pills as your ordered and live off your Swiss bank account.

[DEVONECO]

She now sees things through "Vapara" eyes!

[Silwathpora26]

If u shut ur Skunk mouth is much better. Election is over. Mahinda won. What the hell did u say. Results shows we do not believe you and UNP, JVP.YOu shites from ur mouth.

[gampolaya]

You have to thank MR for making peace f at least can come for a visit. dont go to SL. ppl hate you

[riyas72]

right thing but too late.

[SriLankaElection2010]

0:22 මේ නහින දෙහින කාලෙ, බයිල කියනව.

හැබෑටම සොපි අක්කෙ, නාකි වෙනකොට ආච්චිල කොන්ඩෙ කපන්නෙ ඇයි?

[mlomailom]

this bit** has no right to talk for the peril she put the country through 11 yrs.