Socialist Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse won Sri Lanka’s tightly fought presidential election with 50,33% of the popular vote, according to official results released on Friday.
Rajapakse, who celebrates his 60th birthday on Friday, received 4,88-million votes, beating his nearest rival, right-wing Ranil Wickremesinghe, on 4,69-million votes, the final result released by the elections’ commissioner showed.
Elections chief Dayananda Dissanayake said the result would be conveyed to all 13 candidates at a formal meeting here at 7.30am GMT.
With the declaration of the final result, the outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s second and final term comes to an end, but she can remain in office until Rajapakse assumes office within two weeks.
Thursday’s vote was the fifth major election in the country of 19,6-million people in five years, but the country’s minority Tamils who are regarded as kingmakers stayed away from voting.
Private poll monitors said Tamil Tiger rebels had effectively forced a boycott of the vote and prevented members of the 12,6% minority Tamil community from exercising their franchise.
There was virtually no voting in the embattled northern region while voting was low in the volatile eastern province, but the overall national average of polling was about 75%, Dissanayake said.
Analysts refused to call the election during the five-week campaign saying it was headed for a face off between the present and former premiers although 11 others were in the fray.
Rajapakse takes a hard line with the Tamil Tigers. He has threatened to drop the Norwegian diplomats who brokered peace in 2002 and also to tear up the pact as it stands. – AFP