REFUGEE

A senior UNP parliamentarian told Lanka News Web that the JVP has proposed the common candidate be one who is not affiliated to any political party and contest under a common symbol of an unknown registered party at the elections without entering the hustings either from the UNP or the JVP.

The JVP representatives had made this proposal during an unofficial discussion in parliament between several JVP and UNP parliamentarians last Tuesday.

The new political party that was to be registered by JVP parliamentarian Lakshman Nipunarachchi, which was aimed at creatinga an independent party for the common candidate, was rejected by the Elections Commissioner asking the application to be re-forwarded according to the new Elections Act.

The new Elections Act was implemented through gazette notification on October 24, 2009 and new political parties cannot be registered till January 2010. The source said the JVP and UNP leaders are now looking for an independent registered party to field the common candidate at the next presidential election.