Sri Lanka heads to the polls

Vote viewed as referendum for former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was swept from power in January.

 

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa confident of returning to power, despite corruption claims against him and his family [AP]

Voting has started in Sri Lanka's general election in a poll viewed as a referendum on the political future of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The alliance that swept him from power is also seeking a stronger mandate for reforms, as the nation on Monday elects the 225-strong parliament.
The main contest is between Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and outgoing prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) which formed a minority government after Rajapaksa was ousted in January's presidential election.

Both are vying for the post as prime minister.
Rajapaksa was defeated by his former health minister Maithripala Sirisena amid a swell of opposition by ethnic Tamil and Muslim voters, owing to his majority Sinhala Buddhist platform.
However the new president then called for early elections after his reforms were blocked by politicians loyal to his rival.
Rajapaksa then decided to run for a seat in parliament against his president's wishes, with the rivalry causing a split in the SLFP.
Rajapaksa is confident of returning to power after drawing massive crowds on the election trail, despite the 69-year-old and his closest relatives facing corruption allegations.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised to build on the gains of the revolution that ended Rajapaksa's rule [Getty Images]

However, the reformist alliance that rallied to elect President Sirisena in January remains intact.
Some observers say it should secure a majority and may call on the backing of smaller parties if needed.
Wickremesinghe has promised to build on the gains of the revolution that ended Rajapaksa's nine-year rule.
Al Jazeera's Nidhi Dutt, reporting from Rajapaksa's support base of Kurunegala, said a key question in the vote was how many people would turn up at the ballot box.
"If there is an enthusiastic turnout, like there was in January, that could spell the end of (Rajapaksa's) political career but if in fact there is an element of fatigue and many people stay away from the ballot box, that could give him a boost," our correspondent said.

A total of 196 politicians will be elected from party lists in multi-member districts. The rest will be elected from national lists, with party leaders deciding who gets a ticket.

Government appointed election returning officer Kamal Pathmasiri said that enhanced power to the Election Commission had ensured that the vote was being held in a free and fair environment.
Election monitors said more than 1,500 complaints had been received and three election-related deaths reported during the campaign.
Long term EU election observer from Cyprus, Despina Efstathiou, who is monitoring the handing over of ballot boxes to the election presiding officers in downtown Colombo, told the Reuters news agency that proceedings were being closely watched.
The voting will take place at 12,314 polling centres across the nation as voters choose from 6,100 candidates.
The polls open at 7am local time (0130 GMT) and will close at 4pm. The results are due on Tuesday.