Sri Lanka's former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Sarath Fonseka told reporters on Sunday that he will contest under the symbol of "swan" for the forthcoming presidential election which is scheduled to be held on Jan. 26.
Fonseka, who is credited for winning a bloody civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels, said he will contest in the poll as the common candidate of
the opposition political parties.
He said the name of the political party under which he is contesting would be announced soon.
Fonseka promised to re-establish the democracy, media freedom and implementing the 17th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution paving the way for establishing independent Police and Election Commissions.
However, the general said his major objective is abolishing the executive presidency which was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1977. He promised
to abolish it within six months after he assumes office as the president.
If he can win the presidential election, Fonseka said, he would go for a general election before April 2010 and ask the people to vote for his parties to obtain a two-third majority in the next parliament to make several amendments to the constitution.
"I promised when I took over the Sri Lankan Army in 2006 that the war against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam) will not hand over to next Army Commander which succeeds me. I did it and successfully concluded the war. Every time I honored my promises. This time too I will do it in the politics," Fonseka said.
Fonseka was the island's Army Commander from December 2005 to July 2009 when he was appointed as the CDS regarded by many as a symbolic position.
The general said he was initially invited by Sri Lanka's leftist party JVP or the People's Liberation Front to contest the presidency. It was
followed by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and United National Front which is the joint opposition alliance.
Commenting on the opposition politicians' criticism against him before, Fonseka said there are no permanent enemies or friends in the politics and "we have to think what is the country's need at the time."
Fonseka is the major competitor of incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse contesting on behalf of the ruling coalition United People Freedom
Alliance at the forthcoming presidential election.
Rajapakse said he was behind Sri Lanka's successful war against the LTTE as the Commander in Chief of Sri Lankan forces.