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Mixed Up
Sri Lankans voted in a hung parliament, after President Chandrika Kumaratungas United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won Fridays poll, but fell short of an absolute majority.The final results on Sunday gave the UPFA 105 seats (including 13 national seats) and the outgoing Premier Ranil Wickremasinghes United National Party 82 seats (including 11 national seats).rn rnThe […]
Upside Down
A hung parliament resulting from Sri Lankas elections could further hamper efforts to end three decades of ethnic war as a weak government cannot engage in tough talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, diplomats and analysts said. President Chandrika Kumaratunga called the poll four years early to seek a strong mandate after accusing her rival, Prime […]
LIC IPO Soon
Life Insurance Corporation of India is planning to offer a 20 percent stake of its local subsidiary to the public soon.LIC India Managing Director told LBR that the company would also be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange after the IPO.rn rnBoth major shareholders of the company, LIC and the Bartleets Group will reduce their […]
Third Innings
Sanjiva is excited about prospects for open source software in Sri Lanka.Clad in a denim shirt like any other software engineer he is taking some time off from his regular job at IBM to work with some students at the Colombo University.rn rnSanjivas involvement with these tech savvy students comes through the Lanka Software Foundation […]
Crafting Markets
Devendra is putting final touches on a Sesatha, traditionally used as a symbol of power but in modern times a decorative item in homes.Although its usage has changed overtime the process of making one has remained the same over the centuries.rn rnDevendra uses traditional methods passed down through the generations to hand paint a Sesatha. […]
Long Wait
Dissanayake told reporters that he would meet party leaders on Sunday 10.30 am to appraise them of the situation and take a decision thereafter whether to go for a re-poll.rn rnldblquote The earliest we can have a fresh election is within a week,” Dissananayake said.rn rn”We will not release the district results in respect of […]
Shaky Ground
Sri Lanka was headed Saturday for a shaky coalition government as no clear winner emerged in parliamentary elections called to settle a power struggle that has set back the islands peace process.rnThe party of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who has accused the incumbent premier of conceding too much to Tamil rebels, said it was prepared to […]
Well Done
The U.S. Embassy on Saturday congratulated the Sri Lankanrnpeople on the conclusion of a largely peaceful parliamentary election rnwith an impressive level of voter turnout.“We applaud the performance of rnthe Election Commission and the police,” the Embassy said in a statement.rn rn”We look forward working with the new government elected by the people rnof Sri […]
Communal Living
Sri Lanka will have a coalition government as no party secured a clear majority in just concluded parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told AFP Saturday.rnThe premier said he and his main rival, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, had gone before the electorate seeking a mandate for a strong government, but voters sent a mixed signal.rn rn […]
Ready To Rule
President Chandrika Kumaratungas party is ready to form a new government even if it did not garner a simple majority in parliamentary elections, her spokesman Harim Peiris told AFP Saturday.rn“We are emerging the largest single party and we will form the government,” Peiris said. “That is clearly the intent.”rn rn The results of Fridays vote […]