SRI LANKA voted under tight security yesterday in its first peacetime presidential poll in nearly three decades. It was largely a peaceful vote, despite a few pre-dawn bomb attacks.
The blasts in the northern Tamil heartland of Jaffna, in which no one was injured, were a violent start to the bitter and personal rivalry between President Mahinda Rajapakse and his former army chief, Gen Sarath Fonseka, whose tenuous outcome could threaten stability in the island nation.
By late afternoon, about 60 per cent of the 14 million registered voters had cast their ballots amid heavy security that involved more than 68,000 police and security personnel, fearful that voting day would be bloody.
Counting was expected to begin last night with the final results expected by midday today, the federal election commission said in the capital Colombo.
There are, however, no reliable opinion polls in Sri Lanka, but political observers maintain that the election is too close to call between the two main rivals who are the only realistic contenders out of 22 presidential candidates.
Both Mr Rajapaksa (64) and Mr Fonseka (59) claim credit for defeating the Tamil Tiger insurgency last May that claimed nearly 70,000 lives. But within months, they split over what the army chief claimed was an effort to sideline him by a jealous president and false accusations of hatching a coup. After the army’s bitterly fought victory over the Tigers, Mr Rajapaksa’s popularity scaled unprecedented heights with many politicians and newspaper columnists declaring that with him in power, Sri Lanka did not need elections. But last November, Mr Fonseka fell out with his boss and entered the presidential race.
And in the acrimonious campaigning that followed, in which five people died, Mr Fonseka and Mr Rajapakse made claims about each other’s malevolent intentions, raising tensions. They promised economic reform, employment and reduced food prices.
“Today’s victory will be remarkable. It’s been evident with voters across the nation participating towards our victory,” Mr Rajapaksa said after casting his ballot in Medamulana, his rural constituency. In a recent campaign speech, Mr Rajapakse declared a vote for Mr Fonseka would be a vote for terrorism and the break-up of the country. His supporters stressed no one but the president could take credit for defeating the Tigers.
Mr Fonseka, on the other hand has accused Mr Rajapakse and his two brothers – defence secretary Gotabhaya and presidential adviser Basil – of large-scale corruption and amassing money and property during the government’s four-year in office.
Analysts said the minority Tamil vote is expected to be of importance in the election and this is largely expected to go against Mr Rajapakse even though, ironically it was Mr Fonseka who led the campaign against the Tigers.