Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has won a second term, trouncing his commander tuned foe Sarath Fonseka by a huge margin. He secured 5.9 million votes or 58 per cent against Fonseka’s 4.1 million or 40 per cent in the total of 70 per cent votes cast.
The vote in favour of 64-year old Rajapaksa is seen an expression of people’s desire to see political stability in the country which had seen the end of a three-decade old Tamil insurgency in May last year.
India has congratulated Rajapaksa on his re-election as the President of Sri Lanka. President Pratibha Patil in her message said ‘I am confident that under your continued leadership, Sri Lanka will attain greater heights and find lasting peace’.
She also assured him of ‘ India’s commitment to further deepen our relations with Sri Lanka’.
She also assured him of ‘ India’s commitment to further deepen our relations with Sri Lanka’.
