DP to go it alone

by Ranil Wijayapala

The Democratic Party(DP) led by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has decided to contest the general election without forming any alliance unless there is a requirement to form a broader alliance to defeat former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Coordinating Secretary to the party, Gaya Basnayaka said.

"We will consider whether to form any alliance with other parties against Mahinda Rajapaksa with the decision by the UPFA to give him nomination. Otherwise we had finalised our nominations to contest the election as a single party", he added.

He said the Democratic Party will contest almost all the districts in the coming elections and have finalised their nominations to be handed over from July 6 to 8.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is contesting the election from the Colombo district. "We are a signatory to the March 12 declaration on selecting candidates for the election and we abide by the criteria stipulated in the declaration when selecting candidates. We have not included any corrupt or with bad criminal records in our nomination lists", he added. "Democratic Party has also given fair representation for the women in its nominations lists. To give leadership to women Mrs. Fonseka might contest the election. But there is no final decision on it", he added.