US citizenship no bar to run for Presidency: Gotabhaya

Former Sri Lankan strongman Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said today that his US citizenship will not stop him from running for President if head of the SLPP Mahinda Rajapaksa approves it.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the younger brother of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is being increasingly promoted to be the presidential candidate from the Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) over other brothers Chamal and Basil Rajapaksa in the next election due in January 2020.

The 19th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution in 2015 barred people holding the dual nationality from running for the presidency.

The same amendment had also repealed Mahinda Rajapaksa's 18th amendment which in 2010 had lifted the bar on the number of times one can contest to become the President.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has been the president twice, cannot constitutionally contest for the presidency again.

"I have not started the process yet," Gotabhaya told reporters when asked if he had taken any action to renounce his US citizenship.

"I will start doing so if Mahinda Rajapaksa informs me that I can contest. I can finish the process within two months," he said.

Gotabhaya was the all powerful defense ministry secretary during Mahinda Rajapaksa's 10-year rule which ended in 2015.

He was credited for the swift military action which defeated the LTTE's three decades old campaign to set up a separate Tamil homeland.

His presidential bid was delivered a blow last week when a leading Buddhist monk urged him to be like "Hitler" as the next president.

It drew flak from the government which claimed that Gotabhaya would want to become a dictator if he becomes the country's next president.

"Dictators have no place in Buddhism," Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

President Maithripala Sirisena had said he would not allow the country to return to a dictatorship.

Gotabhaya during his time made a name as the ruthless state official who conducted the military campaign against the LTTE.

He was accused of being behind many attacks against journalists including the murder of the editor of the Sunday Leader in January 2009.

He has been quizzed over other cases of misappropriation such as purchase of MiG aircraft and building a monument for his parents using state funds.

He has obtained court orders preventing his arrest.