Mahinda Rajapaksa has called for parliamentary elections to be conducted as soon as possible in a presser released on Sunday, as his first statement since he was appointed prime minister by the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena. 

“The primary objective of the political party leaders and parliamentarians who have joined me is to immediately hold the Provincial Councils elections that had been postponed continuously, and also to call a Parliamentary election as soon as possible so as to give the people the opportunity to vote for a program that will bring the country out of the all-encompassing economic, political and social crisis that it is now in," he wrote, signing the press release as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

Rajapaksa named the deteriorating economy, ongoing corruption and assassination plots as primary reasons to accept the President’s appointment as prime minister.

See full statement here or below.

The UNP-UPFA government came to an end as the result of the UPFA leaving the coalition. The responsibility of appointing a new government then fell on the President. I was invited to accept the position of Prime Minister with a view to forming a new government. Today, our country is in a state of uncertainty. Details of a plot to assassinate the President and the former Defence Secretary have come to light. Those involved in this conspiracy are being exposed by their own actions. A wave of crime has hit the country and the criminal underworld is on the rise.

The economy of the country is deteriorating by the day. The value of the Rupee has fallen alarmingly.  Our country has been downgraded by the credit rating agencies.  The people are oppressed by the ever rising cost of living. The Central Bank bond scam of the UNP government has resulted in a doubling of the interest rate and the ordinary people and businesses alike have been severely affected. In the meantime, the UNP was engaged in a quest to sell off valuable state assets and enterprises to foreign companies.

I was aware that at this moment of national peril, the people expected our leadership and protection. Hence, I accepted the invitation extended to me by the President to assume the position of Prime Minister. We will eschew the politics of hate and set up an interim government that will protect the human rights of all citizens, that will protect the independence of the judiciary and establish law and order in the country. I invite all political parties represented in Parliament to join us in this endeavour. I also invite the people of all communities and religions – Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and the followers of Islam to participate in this very necessary political exercise.

The primary objective of the political party leaders and parliamentarians who have joined me is to immediately hold the Provincial Councils elections that had been postponed continuously, and also to call a Parliamentary election as soon as possible so as to give the people the opportunity to vote for a program that will bring the country out of the all-encompassing economic, political and social crisis that it is now in.