Sri Lankan presidential poll ends peacefully
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Sri Lanka's sixth presidential election closed largely free of violence Tuesday afternoon with initial results being expected early Wednesday.
The Department of Elections said 14,088,500 Sri Lankans were eligible to cast their votes at 11,098 polling station from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time (0130 GMT to 1030 GMT) to choose their next president mainly from the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, though there are 22 candidates.
Fonseka, battle hardened soldier, whom Rajapaksa hand picked to command the Army to destroy the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) in 2005, had declared "war" to challenge his former boss several months after the LTTE was defeated.
The manifesto of Rajapaksa, who is in politics for over 40 years and seek the people's endorsement for his second term, is totally a plan to drive the country for development. He who claims a development par with defeating the LTTE contest to get another six year stay to put more of his efforts to make the country Asia' s best.
The main advantage for him is his achievement of keeping the main pledge -- defeating the rebels -- within four years. While giving the leadership to continue military offensives until the Army killed LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran at the Nandi Kandal lagoon in the north, Rajapaksa initiated mega power projects, ports, fly-overs and infrastructure facilities around the country.
The main topic of his 103 page manifesto has given more weight on economic growth and steps to double the per capita income from 2,000 U.S. dollars to 4,000 dollars, to maintain an 8 percent growth rate and to transform Sri Lanka into an aviation, naval, financial and knowledge hub of Asia in four years of his second term.
The score sheet of Rajapaksa has high marks as he was able to fulfill the major pledges during his first term. It is easy to criticize but not easy to develop over 2,200 km of highways of the country, which is equivalent to the total highway development done in the previous 20 years, during a period of four years while pouring a massive sum of money to defeat the LTTE.
In his manifesto there is no utterance about the much demanded change to the 17th amendment of the constitution to free the vital state institutions like the Election Commission and police from political influence, eradication of bribery and corruption, devolution of power etc. Though they were not in writing, Rajapaksa pledges in political stages to curb corruption at his best during his next term.
"Believable change" is the main slogan of Fonseka who claims that he shed uniforms not to have a luxurious life but to fight to rekindle the fading democracy, end corruption and Rajapaksa dynasty in politics. These may be the plus points that people will vote for this novel politician with a political experience of few months.
His manifesto based on 10 themes promises of implementing the 17th amendment, de-politicizing state institutions, ending wastage and corruption, and solving the Tamils' grievances.
Fonseka plans to end corruption -- the GDP loss amount to 350 billion to 400 billion rupees (3 billion to 3.48 billion U.S. dollars) annually -- and pass this saving to the public. So by this plan monthly salary of each public servants will increase by 10,000 rupees (about 87 U.S. dollars).
His plans for the welfare of the private sector employees, unemployed youth and elders are spelt in the manifesto.
Fonseka also promises the abolition of executive presidency, which is the main slogan that made the main opposition -- the United National Party and the People's Liberation Front, who were main rivals -- to get into the same stage.
Rajapaksa and his family voted at the rural Mulkirigala in the deep southern district of Hambantota very early, his office in Colombo said. Initial report said Fonseka did not cast his vote.
"I am confident we Sri Lankans can elect a good leader," said Bary Nular, an engineer by profession in a polling station in the capital Colombo.
On the violence in the campaign, Sunil Gunawadena, a businessman in Colombo said "we hope we can set aside the violence (in the campaign). We should come together and rebuild our country for a better future."
Both the opposition and monitors expressed happiness over the violent incident free poll.
"The turnout should be around 65 to 70 percent," W. P. Sumanasiri, the assistant commissioner of Elections told reporters.
However, the polling in the former battle zones of the north and east was not expected to be above 10 and 20 percent respectively, monitors said.
Main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said the high poll rate and low rate of violence are indicators that opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka would be the winner.
"Fonseka's chances would have been slim if violence had prevailed," Wickremesinghe said.
Election officials said some 114 incidents of election law violations had been recorded. Most of the incidents came from the central district of Kandy.
Several incidents of voter intimidation were recorded in southern and eastern provinces.
"On the whole the election day was free of major incidents," Keerthi Tennakoon, convenor of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections said.
Election officials said counting will be done in over 800 centers. The first results are expected from midnight local time ( 1830 GMT).
In a new development, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said Tuesday that the government is contemplating legal action against Fonseka.
"We will seek a court order against his candidacy," Bogollagama told reporters.
The government claimed that Fonseka was not eligible to be a candidate as he was not a registered voter.
"He can't be declared the winner when he is not suitable to be a candidate," Bogollagama stressed.
Fonseka said he had applied, but failed to get his name into the 2008 voter register, without elaboration.
Bogollagama said the applicable electoral roll in the presidential election was finalized in 2008 and Fonseka was not on that list.
Dayananda Dissanayaka, the Commissioner of Elections said earlier Fonseka'a candidacy was in order even though he was not a registered voter.
Rajapaksa called the election two years ahead of schedule to capitalize on his popularity among the majority Sinhalese after ending the island's bloody ethnic conflict.
Fonseka, who commanded the Army to defeat the rebels from 2006 to 2009, is equally credited for the victory.
With initial results being expected in a few hours, both sides are asking their supporters to celebrate the victory peacefully and with dignity.
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