COLOMBO: With the stage set for the military drive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to intensify following the government winning last Saturday’s provincial council elections in the North-Western province, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has scoffed at rumours that he would call a snap parliamentary election in the country.

Four days after the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the provincial polls in the North-Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, described by the government as mass approval for the government’s war effort, the President’s Office confirmed there would be no immediate parliamentary election in the country.

Seen largely as a referendum for public approval on its war against the LTTE, the SLFP-led ruling coalition swept Saturday’s elections in the Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces bagging all 27 electorates in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura and Kegalle districts, seen as key bases of Sinhala nationalism. Addressing a public gathering, President Rajapakse described the victory as a blow to terrorism and said his government has a public mandate to continue the present parliament until 2010 and as such, there was no need to go for parliamentary elections ahead of schedule.

This declaration by Rajapakse has put an end to speculation of a snap parliamentary poll on the heels of the sweeping victory experienced by the UPFA in the recent provincial council elections. The government won a landslide victory in the volatile Tamil and Muslim-dominated Eastern Batticaloa three months ago nearly a year after the military freed key areas in the district from LTTE control.

The victory of the provincial elections last Saturday in predominantly Sinhala areas gives the Rajapakse regime the edge it needs to take the country further into war mode, government officials say.

“Now it is made clear that this government has the full backing of the people in the North-Central province to wipe out the LTTE. It is also clear that this is the sentiment of the whole country. However, we are not going for a parliamentary poll, although it would be conducive for us at this time,” Government Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told Dawn.

“This victory will help the government seek further support from the rest of the country for its military drive against the Tamil Tiger rebels,” SLFP general-secretary Maithripala Sirisena claimed as the military heightened its recruitment drive urging youth to join the army to vanquish the LTTE.

“We will be greatly helped by the government’s victory at the Provincial Council polls on Saturday,” a senior military official quipped as the government urged army deserters to return to the military to face the most ‘crucial’ stage of the war.

Defence authorities said on Wednesday that fresh fighting since Sunday has killed at least 30 rebels in Killinochchi and Mullativu, where the main headquarters of the rebels are located. On Tuesday night at least 10 sailors were injured when a Tamil rebel aircraft dropped two bombs on the eastern Trincomalee harbour, military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nannayakkara said, stating that no deaths occurred due to the incident.

Two soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the Mullaitivu district and another soldier was killed in Kilinochchi district, military officials said.