He said Ranil Wickremesinghe through fear of defeat at the hands of Mahinda Rajapaksa opted out at the last Presidential Election".

In 2005 people voted for President Rajapaksa to safeguard the country and in 2010 to rebuild it.

Having eliminated the scourge of terrorism for ever, today he has embarked upon the herculean task of making Sri Lanka the most powerful country in South Asia.

Voters have therefore got the best opportunity to elect the best people to parliament to help him fulfil his mission", Weerawansa said.

He said last time people in the Colombo district ensured his victory with the highest number of preprential votes.

He sacrificed himself to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country. This time, "I have got the opportunity to break Wickremesinghe's record in securing more preferential votes", he said.

Courtesy: Sunday Observer