President Sirisena to not contest Sri Lanka polls next month

Sri Lanka's incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena has decided not to contest the country's presidential elections scheduled to be held on November 16.

Sirisena's name was not on a list of 41 candidates who paid deposits by Sunday noon's deadline to contest the November 16 presidential poll, according to Election Commission records, Al Jazeera reported.

The president caused a constitutional crisis last year when he sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former political rival.

The Supreme Court later ruled against Sirisena's action and reinstated Wickremesinghe.

Sirisena also faced criticism over the government's handling of an intelligence report warning of the Easter Day bombings that killed 250 people.

Nominations for Sri Lanka's election will be accepted on Monday.

Among the record 41 candidates who posted cash bonds on Sunday were two members of the influential Rajapaksa family.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa - a former secretary to the Ministry of Defence during his brother's decade in power - is the frontrunner, but faces several court cases over corruption allegations and the validity of his Sri Lankan citizenship.