War-weary Sri Lankans go to the polls

Sri Lankans crowded voting stations throughout Colombo today in a hard-fought election to decide whether the incumbent president or his former army chief should lead the nation’s recovery from a brutal civil war.

However there was less enthusiasm for the poll in minority Tamil areas most affected by the fighting, and early morning explosions in the city of Jaffna - in the heart of the predominantly Tamil north – were expected to further suppress turnout.

But there were no reports of major violence by the time polls closed in the afternoon.

The top opposition candidate, however, was not allowed to cast a ballot because his name was not on voter registration lists.

Although it has been just eight months since President Mahinda Rajapaksa and retired General Sarath Fonseka declared victory in the 25-year war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, many voters were more focused on the stagnant economy than the new-found peace.

Mr Rajapaksa still retains strong support for his war victory and rights groups accuse him of misusing state resources – including the state media – to bolster his campaign.

Both candidates appear to command strong Sinhalese followings, and the votes of the Tamils – who suffered most from the government offensive against the rebels - may prove decisive. Twenty other minor candidates are also running.

Both candidates are considered heroes by the Sinhalese majority and have promised to bring development to the country and lead its rebuilding effort from the war.

But neither has presented a detailed plan to resolve the underlying ethnic tensions – and Tamil complaints of marginalisation – that sparked the rebels’ separatist insurgency in the first place.

The opposition said it feared the government would try to steal the election, and in a sign of possible irregularities, Mr Fonseka said his own name did not appear on the voter registration list. The electoral commission said that would not affect his candidacy.