Sri Lanka Elections: Sirisena defeats President Rajapaksa; to be sworn in today

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Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has lost elections for a third term after being in the position for a decade. As the counting began, the President-elect Maithripala Sirisena was seen leading with 50.05% votes, while President Mahinda Rajapaksa was trailing with 46.7%. Firecrackers were burst outside the offices of Sirisena’s party, with party workers rejoicing and distributing sweets.

After his victory over President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the newly elected Maithripala Sirisena will be sworn in as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The Election Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Deshapriya officially announced the news of his victory in the 2015 elections. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place at 6pm on Friday evening, at Colombo’s Independence Square.

The Leader of Opposition Ranil Wickeremesinghe met the outgoing President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has admitted and accepted his defeat. At this meeting, Mr Rajapaksa spoke to Mr Wickeremesinghe about smooth transition of power.

He, later on the telephone, had a word with Mr Sirisena and discussed the steps to be taken due to the change in the administration. According to Colombo Page, Mr Rajapaksa has promised to support the new president’s programs and said he will only criticize the ones that he will not agree with.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Sirisena on his victory. He tweeted, “I spoke to Shri Maithripala Sirisena and congratulated him. I congratulate the people of Sri Lanka on the peaceful & democratic poll process.” He further tweeted, “As a close friend & neighbour, reaffirmed India’s continued solidarity & support for Sri Lanka’s peace, development & prosperity.”

US State Secretary John Kerry too, congratulated the president-elect. Reuters quoted him as saying: “I look forward to working with President-elect Mithripala Sirisena as his new government works to implement its campaign platform of a Sri Lanka that is peaceful, inclusive, democratic, and prosperous.”

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About Suyash Karangutkar

Suyash Karangutkar is a young, dedicated and an enthusiastic journalist who has a deep interest in National and International Affairs. He is an ardent political spectator who finds politics fascinating. At Spectralhues, he heads the Mumbai team and covers National Affairs & Politics. He also occasionally writes columns for Spectralhues. He can be followed on Twitter @columnistsuyash