Colombo: A record 35 candidates filed nominations on Monday for next month's Sri Lankan presidential election, but the incumbent President Mathripala Sirisena has opted not to seek a second term with the entry of popular former defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is considered the favourite.
A record of 41 aspirants paid deposits before the deadline, but six of them pulled out of the race. The Election Commission opened a two-hour period for nominations on Monday.
The 35 candidates are the most to contest a presidential election in the Indian Ocean island nation. The previous high was 22 candidates in 2010.
Among the candidates are two Buddhist monks, four people from the mostly Buddhist country's minority Muslim community and two from the Tamil community. Only one female candidate has filed nomination.
Rajapaksa, who served as defence chief under his brother and then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is popular for his part in ending Sri Lanka's long civil war a decade ago.
President Maithripala Sirisena, who likely would have had difficulty beating Gotabaya Rajapaksa, did not pay a mandatory deposit by a Sunday deadline and became ineligible to file a nomination.
Rajapaksa represents a breakaway party of Sirisena's and has the loyalty of a majority from Sirisena's party.
Rajapaksa said after filing his nomination that he is confident of winning.
His main rival will be Sajith Premadasa, from the governing coalition. He is the son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was assassinated in 1993 by the Tamil Tiger rebels. The rebels were eventually defeated in the civil war.
