COLOMBO, Jan 11 (Agencies): Former Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapakse tried to deploy the army when he realised that he had lost elections, a spokesman for new President Maithripala Sirisena has alleged.
He said that the head of the armed forces came under pressure to intervene shortly before Mr Rajapaksa conceded defeat on 47.6 per cent of the vote. There has been no comment from the military about the allegations.
The deposed president's spokesman denied the claims as baseless. "There was no such attempt at all," said Mohan Samaranayake.
"In fact, at 3:30 am on 9 January when the counting was still under way, the president made an assessment and decided what the results would be," he added.
"Then he gave instructions to all secretaries about a smooth transfer of power... The politician who has made these remarks is in the habit of making baseless allegations."
Sri Lanka has largely been free of military interference in politics except for a coup in 1962 that failed to oust the government. Since then, there has been no direct military role in the government.
"The first thing the new cabinet will investigate is the coup and conspiracy by president Rajapakse.
"He stepped down only when the army chief and the police Inspector General (N.K. Illangakoon) refused to go along with him."
Coup averted in Sri Lanka: new govt
FE Team | Published: January 12, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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