Ex-Sri Lankan president concedes election defeat
Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has conceded defeat in the country’s legislative elections, even though the official results are yet to be announced.
The electorate headed to the polls on Monday in what was described by Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya as “a peaceful, free and fair election.”
“I am conceding. We have lost a good fight,” said the former strongman, despite having earlier asked his followers to go about celebrating his United People’s Freedom Alliance’s (UPFA) victory.
The former president, who was vying to stage political comeback as prime minister, had Ranil Wickremesinghe, the current premier and leader of the ruling United National party (UNP), as his archrival.
“We have won eight districts and the UNP has 11 [out of a total of 22],” Rajapakse said. “This means we have lost. It was a difficult fight.”
Meanwhile, some reports say Rajapaksa has once again changed his mind, saying he will wait until official results are out before conceding defeat.
Rajapaksa first took office in 2005 and was re-elected in 2010 due to a popular wave of support for leading a military offensive to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels.
The United Nations (UN) has estimated that at least 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka’s separatist war between 1972 and 2009, when the government crushed the rebellion.
Rajapaksa was Sri Lanka’s leader until his January 8 presidential election defeat to Maithripala Sirisena, a former ally, who used to function as his health minister.
The current Sri Lankan government has been taking action to enhance the human rights situation in the country by introducing reforms and opening up the political atmosphere.
Sirisena, who has promised a probe into allegations of the massacre of ethnic Tamil civilians by troops under the former president, recently sent a letter to Rajapaksa, saying he would not appoint him prime minister even if he secures a majority in the parliament.
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