A group of Tamil political parties have endorsed the former Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran to be a common candidate in next month’s presidential elections.
A group of Tamil political parties have endorsed the former Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran to be a common candidate in next month’s presidential elections.
The announcement was made in Jaffna on Thursday, after a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society organisations agreed to support such a move last month.
“Official campaigning will begin imminently,” said EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran. “This will focus on bringing about a political solution for the Tamil people....it will greatly help espouse the Tamil people's political rights to the outside world.”
“Most who belong to the ITAK support this [candidate],” he claimed.
“We wish to take everyone with us. This is not a closed group - it is very open. We had to consider hundreds of possible candidates. One person from the party has come forward and we have put him forward, as a symbol of the Tamil people".
Ariyanethiran, a former MP from Batticaloa, was last in parliament after the 2010 polls, having failed to get elected in 2015.
In 2014, Ariyanethiran gave an interview to the Tamil Guardian, where he spoke of Sri Lanka’s attempt at “destroying the concept of a Tamil homeland”, continued military intimidation and justice for the Tamil genocide.
Read more: Interview with TNA MP Ariyanenthiran
