Lanka President Rajapaksa wins re-election

COLOMBO: Incumbent Mahinda Rajapska on Wednesday emerged victorious in the bitterly-fought first post-LTTE era presidential elections against former army chief Sarath Fonseka after counting showed that he had secured nearly 60 per cent of the total votes polled, according to his office.
64-year-old Rajapaksa polled 60 lakh votes or 58.8 percent of the total ballots cast while Fonseka, the joint opposition candidate, secured 41 lakh or 40.8 per cent, sources in the president's office said.
"By all accounts, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the presidential elections as one only needs over 50 per cent of the votes," Presidential office sources told PTI.
On 59-year-old Fonseka's charges of poll rigging, the sources said it was "absolutely untrue" and pointed out that even former prime minister and opposition UNP chief Ranil Wicremasinghe had given a clean chit on the issue.
Wicremasinghe told reporters that the polls were by and large peaceful and free of any rigging.