President Rajapaksa heads for victory in Sri Lanka - 3rd Update

Wed, 27 Jan 2010

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was heading for a clear victory in the presidential polls with the final results soon to be officially released, election officials said Wednesday. Rajapaksa, who is running for a second term, won 5.5 million votes, or 57.81 per cent of the vote, while his main rival, former army commander Sarath Fonseka, won 40.21 per cent, according to an unofficial tally.

The turnout was 70 per cent of the 14 million registered voters.

Meanwhile troops ringed a hotel in the capital where General Fonseka was staying, but the government denied it was trying to arrest the former army commander.

Ten uniformed soldiers detailed to provide security for Fonseka surrendered, but the military claimed that they were army deserters.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakakra said shortly before the results of Tuesday's election were due to be announced that there were no attempts to arrest Fonseka, the candidate of an opposition coalition.

"We have information that there are as many as 400 former army soldiers," Nanayakakra said. "We want to check about their presence and whether they want to create any problems."

"We see this as a move to restrict his movements and harass him," Anura Dissanayaka, a spokesman for the opposition, said.

The Cinnamon Lakeside is a five-star hotel in Colombo adjoining the air force headquarters. Fonseka, the former army commander under Rajapaksa, had checked into the hotel with some of his supporters after the voting had finished Tuesday evening.

Both candidates had campaigned on leading the military victory against Tamil separatist rebels. The 26-year war ended in May with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's defeat.

Some violent incidents were reported during the election, but observers said they were not serious enough to disrupt the balloting.

Overnight, police reported a series of election-related incidents, including attacks on opposition supporters.

A Buddhist monk and a civilian were killed in a hand grenade attack on a temple in Gampola, 120 kilometers east of the capital. Police said it was an election-related incident. A curfew was imposed in the area to prevent the spread of violence.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/306057,president-rajapaksa-heads-for-victory-in-sri-lanka--3rd-update.html.