Sri Lankan president faces challenges in 2nd term
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The result of Sri Lankans' choice made between the war president and the war general was clear on Wednesday. The incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa won the island's sixth presidential election with a comfortable margin.
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka said Rajapaksa had won 6,015,934 votes or 57.88 percent of the total while his main challenger former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka won 4,173,185 or 40.15 percent.
The election was actually a war between Rajapaksa and Fonseka, his Army chief who was promoted to be the island's first ever four-star general by Rajapaksa himself.
"People reposed faith on Rajapaksa," Chulawansa Sirilal, a senior journalist said.
Both were revered for their respective roles in the less than three-year-old military campaign which crushed the over-three-decade old separatist campaign waged by Tamil Tiger rebels.
Fonseka's entry as a politician shocked the islanders, least of all was Rajapaksa himself who had never bargained for Fonseka's candidature when Rajapaksa called a snap election late November.
The incumbent scored heavily in the majority Sinhala dominated rural heartland by winning nearly 60 percent of the poll.
"People trusted Rajapaksa because he finished the war," Sirilal explained Rajapaksa's massive gains among the Sinhalese.
Rajapaksa accused Fonseka of entering a secret deal with the Tamil National Alliance, a party regarded as a proxy of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.
"This secret deal story came to be believed by many," Sirilal added, adding that it can partly explain the fewer than expected votes secured by Fonseka among the majority Sinhalese.
On the other hand, Tamil and Muslim minorities favored Fonseka over Rajapaksa.
"It is ironic that minorities should opt for the Sinhalese Army general," Sirilal said.
Fonseka won the Tamil dominated north and Muslim droves in the east. His wins in the capital Colombo district also came in areas of minority dominance.
"We are so glad that Rajapaksa is now the president of all communities. He must now fulfill minority aspirations," Dharmalingam Siddaththan, the leader of the Tamil political party PLOTE or the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam said.
Most political observers agree that after nearly three decades of war, terrorism and economic under performance, Sri Lankans are looking to a new era of peace and economic prosperity.
The manifesto of Rajapaksa, who is in politics for over 40 years and seek the people's endorsement for his second term, captures this sense. He asked the people to give him another six years to make the country Asia's best.
While giving the leadership to continue military offensives until the final victory, 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 the his next term.
Analysts say Rajapaksa may have little time to taste the victory, as the general elections is due by mid-year, with the dissolution of parliament by this April with the completion of the full six year term. Although the powers of the executive presidency are very great, they can be fully utilized only if the incumbent president has a parliamentary majority backing him.
Another challenge may still come from Fonseka although he has been defeated in election.
The general, who was challenging Rajapaksa on behalf the opposition parties, told reporters on Wednesday that the result did not reflect the voter enthusiasm shown towards him in the run-up to the poll.
"We will not accept this result. We will petition against it," Fonseka said.
As the campaign period was marred by more than 800 cases of violence including five deaths, the opposition might challenge the fairness of the election and use this as a focal point for unity to face the general elections together as well.
Such a scenario would ensure that instability, uncertainty and confrontation will not end with the presidential election but will continue at least until the parliamentary election, analysts say.
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