Former Supreme Court judge C.V. Wigneswaran was on Monday sworn in the first chief minister of Sri Lanka’s northern province, most of which was under LTTE's control for nearly 30 years.
Justice Wigneswaran took oath before President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the chief minister after his party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), won the provincial council elections held Sep 21, Xinhua reported.
At the northern provincial council elections, Justice Wigneswaran secured 132,255 votes in Jaffna to come first in the TNA list followed by the wife of a former rebel, Anandi Sasithran, who got 87,870 votes.
TNA leader R. Sampanthan said the decision for Justice Wigneswaran to take oath before the President was made in consonance with the commitment of the TNA to ensure that the Tamil people are able to live in security, safeguard their self respect and dignity.
He said the Tamils will look to fulfilling their legitimate, political, economic, social and cultural aspirations within the framework of a united and undivided country, as overwhelmingly demonstrated in their electoral verdict.
“The Tamil National Alliance expresses the wish that the Government of Sri Lanka would meaningfully reciprocate the positive step on the part of the Tamil National Alliance,” the Mr. Sampanthan said.
The TNA, which contested the elections as the Illangai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) under the house symbol, swept to victory securing 67.52 percent of the votes.
You have reached your limit for free articles this month.
Subscription Benefits Include
Today's Paper
Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.
Unlimited Access
Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.
Personalised recommendations
A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.
Faster pages
Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.
Dashboard
A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.
Briefing
We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.
Support Quality Journalism.
*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper, crossword and print.
A letter from the Editor
Dear subscriber,
Thank you!
Your support for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings.
The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.
We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.
Suresh Nambath
Please Email the Editor