Gotabaya Rajapaksa elected as President of Sri Lanka


Maldives
PUBLISHED November 17, 2019

Sri Lankas former wartime defence minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is part of the countrys most powerful political dynasty, has been elected president.

On Sunday, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the candidate for the SLPP, the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalist party, claimed an easy victory in the presidential election held Saturday.

"It is a clear win. We envisaged it. We are very happy that Gota will be the next president. He will be sworn in tomorrow or the day after," said his spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella. The candidate for Sri Lankas ruling UNP party, Sajith Premadasa, quickly accepted defeat and congratulated his rival.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already explicitly said he would repeal Sri Lankas commitment to a UN human rights agenda for reconciliation and accountability for atrocities committed in the civil war.

The results showed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had rode to victory on a wave of support from the majority Sinhala Buddhist community. With almost half the votes counted, Rajapaksa led with 50.7%, while his main rival Premadasa had 43.8%, the election commission said.

The election saw a turnout of 80%, one of the largest in Sri Lankas recent history. The Rajapaksa campaign has also confirmed they intend to put Mahinda forward for prime minister at the general elections next year.

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