Amid reports of violence 70 pc voter turn out in Lanka, Fonseka's name missing from list
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, January 27, 2010
Mahinda Rajpakse
Almost 70 percent Sri Lankan voters turn out to cast their votes in the first post LTTE presidential election on Tuesday. There are 22 contenders in the fray for the top post.
However, experts believe that main fight is between incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and his main challenger Gen Sarath Fonseka.
After the polling, experts said that it is going to be a close finish between the two.
The turnout was reported to be brisk around the capital Colombo and the Sinhala dominated areas but light to moderate in Tamil areas of northern part of the island where polling was marred by pre-dawn bomb blasts and allegations of vote rigging.
Early trends are expected to be available by Wednesday night.
Rajapaksa, 64, had called the election two years ahead of schedule apparently to cash in on the military victory over the LTTE, but an acrimonious campaign was witnessed between him and his former military chief Fonseka.
Sarath Fonseka (The Challenger)
The joint opposition candidate 59 year old Fonseka said he was unable to vote as his name was not on the electoral list, prompting statements from the ruling party lawmakers that he could face disqualification.
However, Elections Commissioner Dayananada Dissanayaka released a statement a short while ago stating that a candidate need not be a registered voter nor cast his vote in order to be eligible to run for office.
The Election Commission has made it clear that General Fonseka would not face disqualification if he was duly elected.
This is the first presidential election in Sri Lanka since 1972 that was held without the shadow of the Tamil Tigers and a high voter turnout of 65 to 70 percent was reported, sources said.
Do you think that in today's highly fractured and competitive politics the Parliament will, in near future, be able to function properly and constructively?
