Rajapaksa elected Lankan Prez

Colombo, November 17

Sri Lanka’s controversial wartime Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa will lead the country after ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa conceded defeat in the hotly contested presidential poll on Sunday, marking the return of the powerful Rajapaksa dynasty known for its pro-China tilt, amidst security challenges following the Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed 269 persons.

Rajapaksa, 70, defeated Premadasa, 52, by more than 13 lakh votes, according to the official results.

Rajapaksa, who will succeed President Maithripala Sirisena for a five-year term, will be sworn in as the seventh executive President of Sri Lanka on Monday at the ancient north central town of Anuradhapura. He will be the second member from the Rajapaksa family to become the President. His older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was president from 2005 to 2015.

Rajapaksa secured 52.25 per cent votes (6,924,255), while Premadasa bagged 41.99 per cent (5,564,239) of the total votes polled, the election commission said. Other candidates got 5.76 per cent votes. The overall voter turnout at the election was around 83.73 per cent, Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said.

Following his win, Rajapaksa urged his supporters to “rejoice peacefully”. “As we usher in a new journey for Sri Lanka, we must remember that all Sri Lankans are part of this journey. Let us rejoice peacefully, with dignity and discipline in the same manner in which we campaigned,” he tweeted.

Rajapaksa had vowed to “restore relations” with Sri Lanka’s top lender, China, if he wins the election, despite international concerns over the island nation’s financial debt to the Asian superpower.

Premadasa, meanwhile, was considered leaning more towards India and the US. He conceded defeat even before the official results were announced and also stepped down as the Deputy Leader of the ruling United National Party with immediate effect.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who cannot be removed unless he steps down, is expected to resign. It is believed that Rajapaksa, after taking over as the President, would appoint his elder brother and former strongman Mahinda the PM. — PTI

Modi congratulates Gotabaya, invites him to visit India

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday telephoned Sri Lanka's President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa to congratulate him on his electoral win and invited him to visit India

• The Lankan leader thanked the PM for his good wishes and expressed his readiness to work with India closely to ensure development and security, the PMO said. Modi extended an invitation to Rajapaksa to visit India at his earliest convenience. “The invitation was accepted,” the PMO said

• Earlier, Modi tweeted, “Congratulations @GotabayaR on your victory in the Presidential elections.I look forward to working closely with you for deepening the close and fraternal ties between our two countries and citizens, and for peace, prosperity as well as security in our region”