Colombo, Sri Lanka:
Incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday emerged victorious in the bitterly-fought first post-LTTE era Presidential elections against former army chief Sarath Fonseka after counting showed that he had secured nearly 60 per cent of the total votes polled, according to his office. (Read: Sri Lanka presidential candidate profiles)
64-year-old Rajapaksa polled 60 lakh votes or 58.8 percent of the total ballots cast while Fonseka, the joint opposition candidate, secured 41 lakh or 40.8 per cent, sources in the President's office said.
"By all accounts, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the Presidential elections as one only needs over 50 per cent of the votes," Presidential office sources told PTI.
On 59-year-old Fonseka's charges of poll rigging, the sources said it was "absolutely untrue" and pointed out that even former prime minister and opposition UNP chief Ranil Wicremasinghe had given a clean chit on the issue.
Wicremasinghe told reporters that the polls were by and large peaceful and free of any rigging.
Rajapaksa's supporters came to the streets in many parts of the country bursting crackers.
As the election trends started coming in, tension soared in the capital as heavily armed soldiers drove in and surrounded the lake-front luxury hotel in central Colombo, where Fonseka was staying.
Later, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the troops had been deployed following information that suspected army deserters were among 400 people present inside.
"We don't know whether these suspected army deserters are providing security or are associated with Gen (retd.) Sarath Fonseka," Nanayakkara said.
But opposition condemned the army action, with its spokesman saying the trend was "dangerous".
Later, a group of 10 security officials attached to Fonseka's security contingent came out and gave themselves up to the troops surrounding the hotel.
Fonseka's camp claimed the 10 men were part of the security contingent given to the opposition Presidential Candidate by Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake and were not army deserters.
The government had earlier accused the former army chief of hiring a private militia comprising army deserters, a charge denied by the opposition.
The opposition spokesman said "they feared for Fonseka's safety."
Post-vote violence was also reported from the scenic area of Kandy, where two people were killed in an explosion.
Authorities later imposed the curfew in Gampola, Nawalapitiya and Kurudiwatte in north-eastern part of the Kandy, police spokesman S M Karunaratane told PTI.
Observers have attributed the expected victory of Rajapaksa to his success in eating into the vote bank share of the main Opposition United National Party and the Marxist JVP, which had strived to put up a united front.
Over 14.8 million voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls. More than 68,000 police personnel and 25 army battalions had been deployed for the conduct of peaceful elections.
The elections were the first peacetime presidential vote since Tamil Tigers took up arms in 1972. (Read: Key facts about Sri Lanka)
Rajapaksa had called the elections two years ahead of schedule in an apparent bid to cash in on the victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels, for which both he and Fonseka had claimed credit.
Election monitors from international bodies observed the crucial polls, including 40 from Asian Election Monitoring Authority.
In the run-up to the elections, at least five people were killed and hundreds injured in poll-related violence.
Meanwhile, a senior official said that Fonseka camp had booked 77 rooms in the hotel and the troop surrounded the building only for the former army chief's protection.
"Gen (retd.) Sarath Fonseka is free to leave the hotel. The charges by him that he is placed under house arrest are wrong and we have reports that 77 rooms have been booked for him and his people," sources in the President's office said.
"How can the retired general claim he is under house arrest in a public place where people come and go. The men with Fonseka are also reported to have moved arms (in the hotel). The security forces have moved around the hotel only for his (Fonseka's security)," the sources said.
64-year-old Rajapaksa polled 60 lakh votes or 58.8 percent of the total ballots cast while Fonseka, the joint opposition candidate, secured 41 lakh or 40.8 per cent, sources in the President's office said.
"By all accounts, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the Presidential elections as one only needs over 50 per cent of the votes," Presidential office sources told PTI.
On 59-year-old Fonseka's charges of poll rigging, the sources said it was "absolutely untrue" and pointed out that even former prime minister and opposition UNP chief Ranil Wicremasinghe had given a clean chit on the issue.
Wicremasinghe told reporters that the polls were by and large peaceful and free of any rigging.
Rajapaksa's supporters came to the streets in many parts of the country bursting crackers.
As the election trends started coming in, tension soared in the capital as heavily armed soldiers drove in and surrounded the lake-front luxury hotel in central Colombo, where Fonseka was staying.
Later, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the troops had been deployed following information that suspected army deserters were among 400 people present inside.
"We don't know whether these suspected army deserters are providing security or are associated with Gen (retd.) Sarath Fonseka," Nanayakkara said.
But opposition condemned the army action, with its spokesman saying the trend was "dangerous".
Later, a group of 10 security officials attached to Fonseka's security contingent came out and gave themselves up to the troops surrounding the hotel.
Fonseka's camp claimed the 10 men were part of the security contingent given to the opposition Presidential Candidate by Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake and were not army deserters.
The government had earlier accused the former army chief of hiring a private militia comprising army deserters, a charge denied by the opposition.
The opposition spokesman said "they feared for Fonseka's safety."
Post-vote violence was also reported from the scenic area of Kandy, where two people were killed in an explosion.
Authorities later imposed the curfew in Gampola, Nawalapitiya and Kurudiwatte in north-eastern part of the Kandy, police spokesman S M Karunaratane told PTI.
Observers have attributed the expected victory of Rajapaksa to his success in eating into the vote bank share of the main Opposition United National Party and the Marxist JVP, which had strived to put up a united front.
Over 14.8 million voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls. More than 68,000 police personnel and 25 army battalions had been deployed for the conduct of peaceful elections.
The elections were the first peacetime presidential vote since Tamil Tigers took up arms in 1972. (Read: Key facts about Sri Lanka)
Rajapaksa had called the elections two years ahead of schedule in an apparent bid to cash in on the victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels, for which both he and Fonseka had claimed credit.
Election monitors from international bodies observed the crucial polls, including 40 from Asian Election Monitoring Authority.
In the run-up to the elections, at least five people were killed and hundreds injured in poll-related violence.
Meanwhile, a senior official said that Fonseka camp had booked 77 rooms in the hotel and the troop surrounded the building only for the former army chief's protection.
"Gen (retd.) Sarath Fonseka is free to leave the hotel. The charges by him that he is placed under house arrest are wrong and we have reports that 77 rooms have been booked for him and his people," sources in the President's office said.
"How can the retired general claim he is under house arrest in a public place where people come and go. The men with Fonseka are also reported to have moved arms (in the hotel). The security forces have moved around the hotel only for his (Fonseka's security)," the sources said.
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