Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa takes early lead in presidential election with 52.87 percent out of half a million votes counted – election authority
Sri Lanka People's Front party presidential election candidate and former wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves after casting his vote during the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka November 16, 2019. fiercely fought presidential electionRajapaksa, the main opposition candidate, was leading with 52.87 percent while housing minister Sajith Premadasa had 39.67 percent out of half a million votes counted, according to the election commission.
Leftist Anura Kumara Dissanayake was in third place with 4.69 percent. There were 32 other candidates for the top job.Commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said at least 80 percent of the 15.99 million eligible voters participated in Saturday's poll, which was marred by isolated violence that left several people injured.
Rajapaksa, 70, was leading in the island's majority Sinhalese areas while Premadasa showed strong support from among the island's minority Tamil community in the northern and eastern regions. Premadasa, 52, from the liberal United National Party , is the son of assassinated ex-president Ranasinghe Premadasa.The election is the first popularity test of the UNP-led government since the April 21 suicide bomb attacks that killed at least 269 people and were blamed on local militants.Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stepped aside, allowing his deputy Premadasa to enter the fray and face Rajapaksa, the younger brother of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Gotabaya is credited with directing security forces to crush Tamil rebels and end a 37-year separatist war in May 2009 during the tenure of Mahinda, who was president from 2005 to 2015.
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