Sri Lankans voted overwhelmingly today to elect their new president. Between 70% and 80% of those registered on the electoral rolls voted according to election observers. This is the first presidential election since May 2009, the end of a 40-year war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which left more than 80,000 dead.
These elections took place in a very tense atmosphere. A few hours before the opening of the polling stations, two bombs exploded without causing any casualties, near the home of a local official. Four other explosions were heard in the Jaffna Peninsula, 400 km north of the capital.
“It cannot be said that it was a free and fair election due to the large number of incidents across the country,” said Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake. Yet 68,000 police officers and 250,000 election officials were deployed to ensure the security of the ballot. The electoral campaign had already been marked by numerous violence which resulted in the death of at least four activists.
22 candidates
22 candidates are opposed in this ballot that looks like a duel between the two main candidates. The current nationalist President Mahinda Rajapakse predicted during his visit to the polling station : “We will have a great victory. “
Its main opponent and former head of the armed forces, the former general Sarath Fonseka, was unable to vote for administrative reasons.
14.8 million voters were expected in the voting booths. The results will be released tomorrow Wednesday.
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