Challenger fears arrest as Sri Lanka re-elects premier

SRI LANKAN President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a resounding re-election victory yesterday, beating back a challenge from his former army chief, who rejected the official results and said he feared arrest as troops surrounded his hotel.

The capital was tense even as people hit the streets in celebration, setting off fireworks, waving Sri Lankan flags and holding up posters of Rajapaksa.

The election commission declared Rajapaksa the winner with 57.8% of the vote to Sarath Fonseka’s 40%. The president now must rebuild the country after last year’s successful offensive to destroy the Tamil Tiger separatists after 25 years of conflict.