President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition has won Sri Lanka’s first post-war parliamentary elections, further consolidating his political dominance after the battlefield defeat of the Tamil Tigers last year.

Sri Lankans were voting today for a new Parliament, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa looking to consolidate his political dominance after winning re-election in January and then detaining his chief rival.

Sri Lanka's new government says it is likely to "respond positively" to the Tamil Tiger rebels' declaration of a one-month ceasefire.