Tamil Nationalist Party Launches Election Boycott Campaign Over Political Autonomy

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has launched a campaign to boycott the September 21 presidential election, arguing that no major candidate has promised a federal set-up for Tamil political autonomy in the North and East. The TNPF has also lodged complaints against police interference in their campaign.

A hardline Tamil nationalist party has launched a campaign to boycott the September 21 presidential election, claiming that no major candidate has committed to a federal set-up for political autonomy for Tamils in the North and East, election monitoring groups reported on Tuesday.

In addition, Selvaraja Kajendran, general secretary of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), lodged a complaint against the police for obstructing their leaflet distribution campaign on Saturday in Thirukkovil.

The TNPF has called for action by the Elections Commission and the Human Rights Commission against the police for their actions. Kajendran stated they would cease the boycott campaign if any candidate pledges a federal solution for the Tamil regions.

Meanwhile, the Tamil vote has been thrown into disarray with various Tamil factions pulling in different directions. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has yet to announce their official position on which candidate they will support among the main contenders from the majority Sinhalese community. A section of TNA members has also shown support for a common Tamil candidate against the party's official stance.

Securing the votes of 2.2 million registered Tamil voters is crucial for any candidate to achieve the necessary majority of 50 percent plus one vote to win. Front runners include incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition challenger Sajith Premadasa, and Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. A similar vote boycott in 2005 organized by the LTTE in Tamil regions led to Wickremesinghe's narrow defeat.

(With inputs from agencies.)