Colombo: The Government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today (Jan 14, 2004) angrily rejected Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga's move to extend her term of office by another year as "totally unacceptable".

Wickremesinghe's spokesman G L Peiris said the Government totally rejected Kumaratunga's assertion last night that she could remain in office till 2006 although she was sworn-in in 1999 for a six-year period ending 2005.

President Kumaratunga told state television overnight that her term will now end in 2006 after a private investiture ceremony she had at an undisclosed date in 2000.

"It is up to me to take a decision whether I am to continue in the office of President till 2006 or not," she said, admitting that she had a second investiture ceremony conducted in private.

Peiris, who is also the Constitutional Affairs Minister, said a "private swearing-in ceremony" of a Head of State was unheard of anywhere in the Democratic world and asked why Kumaratunga decided to announce it only now.

"Anyone holding public office cannot arbitrarily and capriciously decide when their period of office comes to an end. We don't concede that she has any legal arguments to justify giving herself another year in office."

Peiris said Kumaratunga's announcement was in the backdrop of her "power grab" of November 4 when she sacked three Ministers and took over portfolios of Defence, Interior and Information.

The power struggle has also undermined Norwegian efforts to broker peace in the island where over 60,000 people have been killed in ethnic bloodshed since 1972.