SRI LANKA: Sri Lankans vote in election likely to further entrench President Mahinda Rajapaksa's political dominance

Record ID: 791697

  • Title: SRI LANKA: Sri Lankans vote in election likely to further entrench President Mahinda Rajapaksa's political dominance
  • Date: 9th April 2010
  • Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (APRIL 8, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS CELEBRATING AT THE CLOSE OF POLLS (9 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 24th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sri Lanka
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA679DS1RHMI81XXHXAGZYRGCCE
  • Story Text: Nearly 80,000 police and soldiers guarded polling stations across the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka on Thursday (April 8), where voters culled 7,620 candidates to fill the 225-member parliament. Election monitors reported a few minor violent incidents.
    President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already parlayed last May's victory over the Tamil Tiger separatists into a new six-year term. Now he is banking on a resurgent economy and political momentum to give his United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) a legislative majority.
    The war deeply divided the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority from which Rajapaksa hails, like all the country's post-independence leaders. He says reconciliation can only come from democracy and development.
    Rajapaksa's alliance has positioned itself as the shepherd of island-wide development and an economic revival, propelled by the stock market and sizeable foreign investment in high-yield government securities The Opposition divided and disheartened after loosing the presidential election was fighting to deny the government a two thirds majority which will give the president power to change the constitution.
    The opposition has vowed to block that, saying it would threaten democracy by giving him even more vast powers than he now has.
    Rajapaksa, 64, in January polled 58 percent against 40 percent for retired General Sarath Fonseka, his former war ally whom the opposition backed after he split with the president.
    After the election Fonseka said the government had robbed him of victory, although monitors said there was no evidence of that. He was later arrested after being accused of plotting a coup.
    Though still in military custody facing two courts-martial for politicking in uniform and improper procurement, Fonseka contested for parliament. He denies wrongdoing.
    Turnout was between 50-55 percent, monitors said. If confirmed, that would make Thursday's turnout the lowest of all 20 national polls since 1947, when then-Ceylon elected its first parliament to prepare for independence from Britain the next year.
    "What is particularly worrying is that given what happened in the presidential election that this could reflect a loss of voter faith and confidence in the electoral process. This has an adverse impact on our democracy," said Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, co-convener of the centre for monitoring election violence.
    The Election Commission said it would only release an official turnout figure with the final tally, expected on Friday. But analysts warn that a low turnout would indicate a loss of confidence in the electoral process in the country.
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