<p>Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterated his call for parliamentary elections in a speech delivered earlier today, calling for the public to support him as they did during the height of a military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamil civilians.</p>
<p>Rajapaksa, who is currently vying for control of the prime minister’s office, warned that “the fate of our country and the futures of our younger generation was at stake”.</p>
<p>“In 2006, after the war with the LTTE resumed, the people of this country, the trade unions, consumers, professionals, businessmen and all sections of the population made it a point to refrain from doing anything that would disrupt the war effort,” he said.</p>
<p>“It is because of that public support that we were able to end the war that no one else was able to bring to an end. I wish to request the people to extend to us the kind of support they gave us during the war, in order to get this country out of the economic crisis it is now in. This is the last opportunity we have. If our effort fails, this country will end up like Greece.”</p>
<p>He went on to list achievements that his government achieved whilst in power, adding that the island was now facing a dire economic crisis. “We have the capacity to meet such challenges,” he added.</p>
<p>“The UNP too is well aware of that fact - which is why they speak to foreign journalists and diplomats on a daily basis in a campaign to convince the outside world that it is undemocratic to hold a general election.”</p>
<p>“Let us all join hands to defeat the forces that seek to destroy this country by perpetuating their rule without holding elections,” he concluded.</p>
<p>See the full text of his speech <a href="http://static.ow.ly/docs/English%2025%20November%202018_85XH.pdf">here</a>.</p>
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