Aug 13, Colombo: Sri Lanka`s Marxist party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa has no moral right to hold another Presidential election as he had already pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency before his term ends.

Sending a special letter to President Rajapaksa, the JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that he has neither moral right nor any possibility of holding another Presidential election according to the mandate received at the Presidential election held in 2005.

The JVP has also recalled the MoU signed with the JVP at the Temple Trees on the 8th September, 2005 publicly by the President, as the then Prime Minister of the UPFA government and its candidate for the presidential election over this issue.

According to this MOU, President Rajapaksa has accepted the abolishing of Executive Presidency, which has seriously harmed democratic process in Sri Lanka, and has agreed that the Executive Presidency would be abolished before the 6th term of the Presidency ends.

Additionally on page 84 of the `Mahinda Chinthanaya` presented by President Rajapaksa as an election manifesto for the presidential election, under the chapter `Constitutional amendments`, it too states that the Executive Presidential system would be abolished, JVP reminded.

The JVP has requested the President to abandon the idea of holding another presidential election and take steps to abolish the Executive Presidency as promised by signing an agreement in public and respecting the mandate he received in 2005.