Sri Lanka's opposition agree to form all party gov't

COLOMBO -- The Sri Lankan opposition agreed to form an all-party government, if it wins the presidential election next year, sources said on Tuesday.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between joint opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena and opposition political parties, including the main opposition United National Party, it was agreed that an all-party government will be formed for a period of not less than two years.

The text of the MOU, a copy of which was obtained by Xinhua, said that the joint opposition will look to re-establish democracy, good governance, social justice and the rule of law.

The immediate of the joint opposition tasks will be implemented within hundred days, including abolition of the current executive presidency and the re-establishment of a parliamentary form of government.

Maithripala Sirisena, a former Health Minister and General Secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had left the government recently to contest on behalf of the opposition.

Former President Chandrika Kumarathunga and a few former government members have also offered support to Sirisena's campaign.

The campaign of the common opposition is mainly focused on gathering support to abolish the present executive presidential system and implement constitutional reforms to ensure the independence of institutions essential for democratic governance, such as the judiciary, police, public service and election authorities.

The joint opposition, in its MOU, has also noted that the current preferential voting system in Sri Lanka will be abolished and a new electoral system will be introduced which will be a mix of the first-past-the-post system, which ensures that every electorate has its own Member of Parliament and proportional representation.

The opposition has promised to create a civilized and moral society and in particular reform the political culture of the country which it says has sunk to unprecedented depths.