Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday refused to give consent to his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa's candidature for the Prime Ministerial post from the main opposition party, saying the premier will be chosen post election.
A release from Sirisena's office said he had not agreed to make Rajapaksa the prime ministerial nominee from the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).
"The Prime Minister will be chosen post election if the UPFA returned victorious?on August 17," the release added.
Rajapaksa's close associate Kumar Welgama had recently said that the former President plans to return to mainstream politics as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the main opposition party.
"He will be the prime ministerial candidate of either the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) or the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA)," Welgama had said.
President Sirisena, who is the leader of both the groups, had resisted calls to allow 69-year-old Rajapaksa to contest.
The Rajapaksa faction of the UPFA was hopeful of rapprochement between Sirisena and Rajapaksa enabling the former President to make a bid for the Prime Ministerial post.
Sources said the former President may contest from an alliance outside Sirisena's party.
Sirisena, who was Rajapaksa's health minister, joined the main opposition UNP just ahead of the January 8 presidential election.
Rajapaksa sacked Sirisena from the party but handed him the leadership after the latter's victory over him.
Sirisena wants to bring in a new image to the party without Rajapaksa whose regime was tainted with corruption allegations and for its Sinhala majority favored policies.
Several of high rankers from the former regime have been tried for allegations of impropriety since Sirisena defeated Rajapaksa in the January presidential election.
The former President had backed his loyalists to organise rallies island wide to pressure Sirisena to bring him back.
Sirisena last week dissolved the parliament, paving the way for fresh parliamentary elections on August 17, eight months ahead of schedule.
