10/29/2010
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Reuters
COLOMBO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's supreme court on Friday threw out a challenge to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's January re-election by his jailed rival, former army chief Sarath Fonseka.
Fonseka garnered 40 percent to his former commander-in-chief's 59 percent at the Jan. 26 poll, which prompted the former general to accuse the president of rigging the vote and then sue to have the results nullified.
02/16/2010
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Times of India
The keenly-contested presidential polls in Sri Lanka did not "fully meet" key benchmarks for democratic elections and the arrest of opposition candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka has increased tension in the country, according to a Commonwealth report.
01/27/2010
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Sydney Morning Herald
Sri Lanka's government said it would contest the legitimacy of the main opposition candidate in Tuesday's presidential vote, setting up a clash that threatens new instability on the war-torn island.
Sarath Fonseka, a former four-star general, took on his former boss, incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse, in the vote after a bitter and personal campaign that saw both sides accuse the other of planning foul play.
Just before polls closed Fonseka announced he had been unable to vote because he was not registered on the electoral list.
12/12/2009
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Xinhua
Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the northern capital of Jaffna on Saturday to launch the presidential election campaign, officials from Wickremesinghe's office said.
12/11/2009
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Associated Press
Just a few months ago, Sri Lanka's president and its army chief were strong allies, working closely together to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels and end the nation's 25-year civil war.
Now the two men hailed as national heroes are bitter political opponents, as Gen. Sarath Fonseka works to unseat President Mahinda Rajapaksa in next month's presidential elections.
12/08/2009
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Telegraph
Sri Lanka's former military chief who led troops to victory over Tamil separatists in May said he fears fugitive rebels will try to assassinate him during his presidential election campaign.
12/06/2009
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Sunday Leader
General Sarath Fonseka, speaking to The Sunday Leader on Friday said post war he vetoed a multi-million dollar proposal to purchase further large quantities of artillery shells from China to the value of 300 million US dollars by Lanka Logistics & Technologies Limited — a state-owned limited liability company operating under the Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order...
“I refused to allow the multi-million dollar purchase as there was simply no requirement anymore for such a massive quantity of artillery shells,” Fonseka said, adding “it would have simply been a colossal waste of money.”