Sri Lanka president Sirisena abandons re-election bid

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has decided not to stand for re-election in November polls as the politically influential Rajapakse family nominated two candidates by final registration yesterday. Sirisena's name was not on a list of 41 candidates who paid deposits by yesterday's noon deadline to contest the November 16 presidential poll, according to Election Commission records. It means Sirisena will leave office the day after the election, cutting short his five-year term by 52 days. A spokesman for Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) confirmed he was not seeking re-election. Some 15.99 million men and women over the age of 18 years are eligible to vote in the election.