Hakim takes oath as UNP national list parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 July 2008, 17:03 GMT]
Rauf Hakim, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) took oath as a national list parliamentarian with the Speaker W.J.M.Lokkubandara administering the oath when the parliament resumed its sitting Thursday morning, parliamentary sources said. Hakim resigned from the post of the councilor of the Eastern Provincial Council Tuesday evening.

Mr. Rauf Hakim along with two other SLMC parliamentarians Basheer Segu Dawood and Hassan Ali resigned from the parliament to contest the EPC elections held on May 10 in alliance with the main opposition United National Party (UNP) in 'Elephant' symbol.

In the 2004 general election Rauf Hakim was elected to the parliament from the Ampaarai district. Basheer Segu Dawood and Hassan Ali were nominated to the parliament from the national list of the UNP.

In the EPC election Rauf Hakim won in the Trincomalee district, Basheer Segu Dawood in Batticaloa district and Hassan Ali from the Ampaarai district.

However, their group did not capture power in the EPC and has been sitting in the opposition.

For the parliamentary seat which fell vacant in Ampaarai with the resignation of Rauf Hakim, Mohamed Naushad from the UNP who polled highest preferential votes in the district was appointed MP.

Chronology: