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Sri Lanka presidential election: Rajapaksa victorious as opponent concedes Sri Lanka presidential election: Rajapaksa victorious as opponent concedes
(about 2 hours later)
Former defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa claims victory in tightly fought contestFormer defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa claims victory in tightly fought contest
Sri Lanka’s former wartime defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be the country’s next president, after his opponent conceded defeat in a tightly contested election. Sri Lanka’s former wartime defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is part of the country’s most powerful political dynasty, has been elected president, raising fears about the future of human rights and religious harmony in the region.
The candidate for Sri Lanka’s ruling UNP party, Sajith Premadasa, on Sunday accepted defeat in the poll held on Saturday and congratulated his rival. On Sunday, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the candidate for the SLPP, the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalist party, claimed an easy victory in the presidential election held Saturday, which had been fought against the backdrop of some of the worst political instability and violence the country has seen since the end of the civil war a decade ago.
“It is my privilege to honour the decision of the people and congratulate Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his election as the seventh president of Sri Lanka,” Premadasa said in a statement. Before even half of the votes were in, the Rajapaksa camp were quick to claim victory.
With half the votes counted, Rajapaksa led with 50.7%, while his main rival Premadasa had 43.8%, the election commission said. Rajapaksa’s party claimed victory in a statement which thanked voters for a peaceful election. “It is a clear win. We envisaged it. We are very happy that Gota will be the next president. He will be sworn in tomorrow or the day after,” said his spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella. The candidate for Sri Lanka’s ruling UNP party, Sajith Premadasa, quickly accepted defeat and congratulated his rival.
The election took place seven months after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, which saw self-radicalised Islamist extremists bomb hotels and churches, killing over 250 people and throwing Sri Lanka into a state of emergency. The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former army general who is known for his nationalistic and authoritarian leanings and is still facing allegations for corruption and torture, could be a decisive moment for Sri Lanka.
Early results showed Rajapaksa, 70, the candidate for the SLPP, the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalist party, leading with 48.2% of the vote. “It is all our worst fears realised,” said Hilmy Ahmed, the vice-president of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council. “Sri Lanka is totally polarised by this result and we can see through the votes there is now a clear divide between the Sinhala Buddhist majority and the minorities. It is a huge challenge to see how the country could be united.”
A member of one of Sri Lanka’s most powerful political families, he served as defence minister when his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was president for a decade from 2005. The pair oversaw the end of Sri Lanka’s brutal 26-year-long civil war. The polls took place seven months after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, which saw self-radicalised Islamist extremists bomb hotels and churches, killing over 250 people and throwing Sri Lanka into a state of emergency.
His main opponent, Sajith Premadasa, a minister in the current United National party (UNP) government was on 45.3% in the vote count. Premadasa, 52, had strong support in minority Tamil areas and a poor showing in larger Sinhalese constituencies, Rajapaksa’s core support base. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had served as defence minister when his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was president between 2005 and 2010, had played on fears stoked by the attacks and put security at the forefront of his campaign agenda. He and Mahinda Rajapaksa are credited for ending the 26-year-long Sri Lankan civil war, which took over 100,000 lives, but their legacy is one tarnished with grave human rights abuses and oppression.
Though most electoral constituency votes had not been declared and the electoral commission had not officially announced the final result, Rajapaksa’s representatives declared him the winner. As de facto head of the army during the brutal end of the civil war which was fought between the majority Sinhala-Buddhist government and minority Tamil separatists, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of creating military “death squads” who hunted down Tamil fighters and any critics of the government.
“It is a clear win. We envisaged it. We are very happy that Gota will be the next president. He will be sworn in tomorrow or the day after,” said his spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already explicitly said he would repeal Sri Lanka’s commitment to a UN human rights agenda for reconciliation and accountability for atrocities committed in the civil war, describing it as “illegal”.
Under the iron fist of Mahinda Rajapaksa, there was no freedom of expression and journalists and campaigners were routinely attacked or “disappeared”. The police and the judiciary were also under the control of the Rajapaksa family.
Minorities in Sri Lanka had also been alarmed at the divisive Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism agenda seen to be promoted by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa campaign, which could stir up sectarian tensions in Sri Lanka again.
In particular the Muslim community, who have faced violence and boycotts since the Easter Sunday attacks, had expressed concern about election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has the backing of the nationalist Buddhist groups responsible for stoking anti-Muslim sentiment and violence in recent years.
The results showed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had rode to victory on a wave of support from the majority Sinhala Buddhist community. With almost half the votes counted, Rajapaksa led with 50.7%, while his main rival Premadasa had 43.8%, the election commission said.
The election saw a turnout of 80%, one of the largest in Sri Lanka’s recent history. It was also relatively peaceful, despite being marred by incidents including the shooting of buses carrying Muslim voters in the north-east, which were stopped by a roadblock and fired at by attackers. There were no casualties.The election saw a turnout of 80%, one of the largest in Sri Lanka’s recent history. It was also relatively peaceful, despite being marred by incidents including the shooting of buses carrying Muslim voters in the north-east, which were stopped by a roadblock and fired at by attackers. There were no casualties.
The election had been hotly contested between the two candidates. Following the instability of the current UNP government, which was plagued by inefficiency and infighting and faced criticism for failing to heed warnings of the Easter Sunday attacks, Rajapaksa had run on a platform of promising security for Sri Lanka, as well as boosting the stagnant economy.
Premadasa, the son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was assassinated by Tamil separatists in 1993, was more of an unknown for Sri Lankan voters. He had campaigned on improving the lives of everyday people.
The return of a Rajapaksa to power could have major implications for human rights and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. Under Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, there was a repression of dissent, with journalists and campaigners regularly arrested and attacked, while the courts and the police were controlled by the government.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also explicitly said he would repeal Sri Lanka’s commitment to a UN human rights agenda for reconciliation and accountability for atrocities committed in the civil war, describing it as “illegal”.
He has also said he intends to put his brother forward for prime minister at the general elections next year, paving the way for the family to take a stranglehold on power in Sri Lanka.
The election commission has said it expects results to be clear by late Sunday and a new president to be sworn in within a day.The election commission has said it expects results to be clear by late Sunday and a new president to be sworn in within a day.
The Rajapaksa campaign has also confirmed they intend to put Mahinda forward for prime minister at the general elections next year, paving the way for the family to take a double stranglehold on power in Sri Lanka.