Q&A: Sri Lanka's top general mulls presidential bid

by Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's president Friday accepted General Sarath Fonseka's resignation, which frees up the veteran soldier to run for president after playing a decisive role in defeating the Tamil Tigers in May.

Here are some questions and answers about Fonseka:

WHO IS SARATH FONSEKA?

A soldier since 1970, Fonseka was the army commander who spearheaded victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels, a group he had fought for most of his career as an infantryman. Known for his volatile temper and win-at-all-costs attitude on the battlefield, Fonseka was wounded several times in action and nearly killed in April 2006 by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber. But he was back at his post at the end of July, and within days launched a 34-month campaign that spelled doom for the Tigers. A tough talker, Fonseka is not without a sense of humor. At a reception for press covering the war in December, he wore a shirt depicting a dragon strangling a tiger, and told the journalists present that they would be out of jobs by the end of 2009.

WHAT PROMPTED HIS RESIGNATION?

Fonseka in a scathing letter accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa of sidelining him despite his contribution to the war victory, and of sullying the army's reputation by falsely alerting India that there was a coup afoot in October. He was also furious that his promotion to a newly created job overseeing Sri Lanka's three military branches had no command authority, which he took as a slight to his service to the country.

IS POLITICS BEHIND THE MOVE?

Definitely. In August, a fake e-mail purporting to announce his entry into the presidential race, which many suspect was leaked by opposition political operatives, ushered in months of speculation. Both the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna (JVP) and pro-business United National Party (UNP) have happily stoked talk of a Fonseka presidential bid. Neither has a strong candidate nor an obvious way to diminish Rajapaksa's sole ownership of the war victory in the political arena.

CAN FONSEKA WEAKEN RAJAPAKSA'S VOTE BASE?

Fonseka would stand on equal if not greater footing than Rajapaksa in laying claim to victory, a key to the incumbent's popularity. Local media have reported consensus among Tamil and Muslim minority parties to back Fonseka in a UNP-led coalition, and they will be an important swing vote. Although the JVP is ideologically opposed to the UNP, some in the parties say the two would partner up just to defeat Rajapaksa. They are already coordinating strike action by the unions they control.

HOW ABOUT THE ECONOMY?

If Fonseka comes as his opponent, economists expect Rajapaksa to spend more to woo voters with public-sector wage hikes, subsidies and new state jobs. That will be difficult for him to do due to strings attached to a $2.6 billion loan from International Monetary Fund loan.