Sri Lankans vote amid bomb attacks
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the incumbent president
Tuesday, 26, Jan 2010 12:21
By inthenews.co.uk staff.
Sri Lankans have today voted in their first presidential election since the end of the 26-year civil war, amid minor bomb blasts in the north of the island.
Over 14 million voters were eligible to cast their vote, with the final decision expected tomorrow after voting ended this afternoon.
Reports from Sri Lanka say attacks in the northern Tamil city of Jaffna failed to cause any casualties, with security at the polls tight and voting going ahead regardless.
The vote will be a close contest between Mahinda Rajapaksa, the incumbent president, and Sarath Fonseka, the former army chief who led the campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended last May.
Mr Fonseka and President Rajapaksa worked closely to defeat the Tamil Tigers, but are believed to have fallen out over who led the government to victory.
Although there are 22 candidates in the running for the presidency, the decision is likely to be marginally between the two main candidates. Security has been tight, with thousands of police deployed after four people were killed during campaigning. The voting is likely to be based largely on the religious sympathies of the public.
This could also be the first time Tamils vote in significant numbers since the civil war began.