Sri Lanka's ex-military chief will challenge President Mahinda Rajapakse in upcoming elections, an opposition party said Tuesday, after the pair engineered the defeat of a bloody Tamil Tiger revolt.

The People's Liberation Front (JVP), which had earlier backed Rajapakse, said General Sarath Fonseka would stand against his former boss in a snap presidential election due between January 11 and February 13.

"We came to an agreement last night (Monday) that he will be the common opposition candidate," JVP lawmaker Anurakumara Dissanayake said. "We will ensure his victory and the downfall of President Rajapakse."

Fonseka, 58, is considered a war hero by many Sri Lankans for his role in ending the island's decades-long ethnic conflict. But he clashed with Rajapakse over who took should take credit for the military campaign.

After the fighting ended in May, he was moved from army chief to become chief of defence staff, a more ceremonial position that left him feeling sidelined because of the lack of command powers.

The JVP announcement was the first confirmation from a political party that Fonseka was entering politics, following weeks of speculation.

A close aide said Fonseka was planning to secure broad opposition support before announcing his plans. The former general himself declined to comment on the JVP statement.

"I will tell you in two to three days," he told reporters.

Dissanayake said Fonseka would scrap the all-powerful executive presidency, which concentrates authority in the head of state and is said by critics to trample over democracy.

"He has accepted to be the 'apolitical' common candidate who will work towards the abolition of the executive presidency within six months of coming to power," the JVP lawmaker said.

Sri Lanka's army wiped out the Tamil Tiger leadership in May this year, ending a bloody 37-year struggle by the rebels for a separate homeland.

Last week, Fonseka said in a message to members of the security forces that he was committing himself "to protect democratic freedoms which we are rapidly losing".

"I pledge to work to restore human rights, media freedom, social justice, ethnic unity and peaceful coexistence. I will be by your side like a shadow," he said.

The army led by Fonseka was strongly criticised by international rights groups which claimed thousands of civilians were killed during the final stages of fighting this year.

The government, however, denied any civilians were killed by security forces.

Some political analysts in Sri Lanka view Fonseka's entry into politics with unease and have warned that he could take Sri Lanka down the road of Pakistan or Myanmar, where military dictators have ruled for long periods.

The JVP said Fonseka had agreed to dissolve the current cabinet and appoint an interim government to conduct parliamentary elections which are due by April.

Rajapakse, 64, has called an early presidential election to benefit from the government's popularity following the end of the anti-Tiger campaign.

Media reports have suggested that the election date will be fixed for January 23, a day considered astrologically auspicious for the government.

The JVP and the main opposition United National Party have said they will support any move to oust Rajapakse, who has been accused of granting key state positions to family members and wanton corruption.

The president's younger brother is Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who also played a key role in crushing the Tamil Tigers.

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