SLMC to support Rajapakse from opposition bench

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 August 2010, 23:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's predominant Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by Rauff Hakeem, today decided to support the Sri Lanka government’s decision to make constitutional amenedments which will also remove the two term restriction on the presidency, political sources in Colombo said. SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem told the media in Colombo, his party has decided to support the government by helping it attain a two third majority in parliament which will held change the country’s constitution.

The Government’s Information Department said that the Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa led government now has a two thirds majority following the support of the SLMC.

However, the SLMC hierarchy noted that it will support the government’s constitutional amendments while sitting in the Opposition benches in parliament.

The SLMC Hierarchy on Friday evening decided to support Rajapaksa’s plan to amend the existing constitution which will give him a fresh term once his second term comes to an end in six years.

According to the Government Information Department, with the government securing the support of the SLMC, it now enjoys a total of 153 parliamentarians minus the speaker in the 225 seat legislature.