COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa can contest the upcoming presidential election for a third term, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne has said.
The opposition, backed by some lawyers and monks, insist Rajapaksa does not have the legal right to do so, and can be in office for only two terms.
Jayaratne said Tuesday that Rajapaksa will be able to contest for a third term in office as a result of the constitutional changes brought in by the government through parliament, Xinhua reported.
The election have been advanced to January next year.
Jayaratne said there was enough legal backing to allow the president to contest yet again. Rajapaksa claims he will win the contest comfortably -- irrespective of who is pitted against him.