Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) has launched a signature campaign to force the holding of the country's next presidential election by the year's end.

The UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated the petition campaign from the party headquarters Monday aimed at getting over 1 million signatures to urge the authorities to order the poll.

A UNP spokesman said that four vehicles had departed from the party headquarters in four different directions with the petition.

On Aug. 23, the grand petition with 1 million signatures would be handed over to the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake.

The UNP and the ruling party have been embroiled in a debate over the date for the next presidential election.

The incumbent Chandrika Kumaratunga says her term runs until end of 2006 going on the basis that she is entitled for 12 years from 1994, her first appointment to the post of executive president.

The UNP argues that her second term which began in December 1999 when she called a snap presidential election ends in December 2005.

Dissanayake, the elections commissioner, is expected to make his ruling on the date of the election known soon.

Kumaratunga, who wants to remain until 2006, had sought an opinion from the Supreme Court on the issue.

Wickremesinghe stressed that it would be unconstitutional for Kumaratunga to hold onto her position beyond 2005.

Source: Xinhua