COLOMBO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has scoffed rumors that he would call a snap parliamentary election in the country, his office said here Tuesday.

    Addressing a gathering, the president said his government has a public mandate to continue the present parliament until 2010 and as such there is no need to go for a parliamentary election ahead of the schedule.

    Speculation is rife that Rajapakse may opt to hold a snap parliamentary poll after his party's resounding victory in the two provincial council elections held on Saturday.

    Rajapakse's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance thrashed the main opposition United National Party to win North Central Province and Sabaragamuwa Province elections.

    The elections were held 14 months ahead to test the public mood on Rajapakse's present military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels.

    Government troops claim that they have the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels on the run and it will be a matter of time before they are completely eliminated from their last holds in the island's Northern Province.

    The LTTE has been waging war with the government since the mid-1980s in its bid to carve out a separate homeland for the minority Tamil community.