Ruling coalition wins Sri Lanka election

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.

The victory follows Mr Rajapaksa’s re-election in presidential polls three months ago. Despite opposition allegations that the president wants to monopolise power, he is a hero to many of the country’s Sinhalese majority hoping for a new era of development and reconciliation.