Rajapakse faces acid test in today's local polls

Colombo: President Mahinda Rajapakse faces the first acid test after being elected to power three months ago when their coalition contests today's local government elections without the backing of the Marxists Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) for the first time after the formation of the coalition in 2004 will be contesting an election without the backing of the JVP.

The UPFA won the Parliamentary elections in April 2004 and in November last year the party's candidate Rajapakse was elected president with the backing of the JVP.

For the first time Rajapakse will be testing the strength of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)' which is the main partner in the UPFA coalition.

The election is also being considered the acid test for the JVP, which claims to be responsible for Rajapakse's victory at the last presidential elections.

The party also believes that it was responsible for the UPFA victory at the 2004 parliamentary elections as their party won 39 seats and the SLFP returned only 57 members.

The JVP during the last local elections conducted in 2002 was able to win only in one local council, but at this election it hopes that it can win at least 25 per cent of the 266 councils for which elections are being held.

The results of the elections will be decisive for the future of the UPFA-JVP relations despite their partnership at the federal level.

The UPFA has expressed confidence it could emerge winners capturing the majority of the councils and declared that it will be followed by the JVP.