The UPFA, the Minister said, also expected to give more powers to the Independent Commissions which would be established under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

The Minister said the election held on Jan. 26 to elect the 6th President was the last presidential poll in the country.

Minister Sirisena said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would address election rallies from the following week. There would be one rally attended by the President in each district except Colombo and Kurunegala, where he would address two rallies each.

There would be another series of meetings which would be attended by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and the third round of meetings with SLFP and UPFA leaders presiding, the Minister said.

The Minister said: "The government’s goal was to obtain a two thirds majority in the next Parliament. There is no opposition campaign as such because the UNP has gone bankrupt. The UNP and the JVP could not hold the alliance they cobbled together in a hurry for the presidential election and the latter has learnt a bitter lesson."

According to surveys, 70 per cent of the people, who supported Gen. (retd) Sarath Fonseka’s at the presidential election, would vote with the UPFA on April 08 and the government was confident of securing a two-thirds majority, Minister Sirisena said.

Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijelal Silva said the late President J. R. Jayewardene had got a five-sixths majority at the 1977 election held under the first past the post system but he had changed that system and it was difficult to revert to the former system.

Courtesy: Island