Sri Lanka’s former top general Sarath Fonseka, who quit following a spat with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, today announced that he will be the joint candidate of opposition parties in the Presidential polls slated for January 26 next year.
“I am joining the race for Presidency,” 58-year-old Fonseka told a packed press conference here.
His announcement sets the stage for a showdown with Rajapaksa, who has called the elections on January 26, 2010, two years ahead of schedule.
Voicing confidence that he will win the polls against incumbent Rajapaksa, the former Chief of Defence Staff said foreign observers were the “need of the hour” for monitoring the presidential elections.
