Opposition common candidate no threat: Sri Lankan PM

Opposition efforts to field a common candidate in an impending presidential election would not be a threat to the government, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka declared on Sunday.

"Any opposition candidate -- common or uncommon -- won't be a threat," Wickramanayaka told a gathering in the central town of Kandy.

Wickramanayaka's comments came as the Sunday Times newspaper reported that the opposition parties have decided to field GeneralSarath Fonseka, the Chief of Defense Staff and former Army Commander as their common candidate.

President Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to announce next week his decision to hold a presidential election two years ahead of the schedule.

Rajapakse wanting to win his second term in a snap election, based on the strength of his military success in crushing the three-decade-old separatist war waged by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Fonseka under Rajapakse's political leadership led the troops to complete the job that all his predecessors had failed to do.

By fielding Fonseka as the common candidate, the opposition is also trying to ride back on his popularity among the Sinhala majority community.

Source: Xinhua