Election Day in Sri Lanka

Author: Lauren Wells

Today Sri Lankans will go to the polls – a full two years ahead of scheduled elections – to reaffirm their confidence in their current president or throw him out and pick a new one. President Mahinda Rajapaksa hedged his reelection prospects on his popularity from the successful defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. In a challenge, resulting from disputed responsibility for the war’s success, Rajapaksa’s military General Sarath Fonseka resigned in November to run against him in the election. The race has been contentious with reports of hundreds injured and at least four people killed in pre-election violence. It is an important election with the winner taking the reins at a pivotal time in the country’s history.

The Sinhalese vote appears to be very close between the two candidates. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a nationalist Sinhalese group, and the United National Party have come out in support of Fonseka. However, the former President of Sri Lanka (1994-2005) and ranking member of Sri Lanka’s Freedom Party Chandrika Kumaratunga voiced her support for Fonseka, rather than her own party’s candidate.

With the Sinhalese vote appearing to be split, the Tamil minority could play a significant role in deciding the victor. Neither candidate is receiving enthusiastic support. Both Rajapaksa and Fonseka are hard-line Sinhalese nationalists, with one candidate responsible for declaring war on the Tamil Tigers, the other responsible for actually waging the war. The importance of the Tamil vote is a somewhat ironic twist from recent years where tsunami aid was diverted and where Tamil civilians found themselves caught in the middle of a bloody conclusion to years of civil war that killed thousands of Tamil Tigers and civilians alike. Past transgressions will certainly be on the minds of many Tamils as they go to the polls today, if they even feel motivated to go at all.

The future of Tamils and their role in Sri Lanka is also at stake. Many are concerned about reconciliation and the future of power sharing agreement. After the war, President Rajapaksa was slow to release the hundreds of thousands of Tamils held in internment camps. Once he announced the election he began to release persons from the camps in greater numbers and loosen travel restrictions – a move probably motivated by the unexpected importance of the Tamil vote. It is unclear whether this attempt at reconciliation will move beyond today. On the other hand, Fonseka’s devotion to reconciliation is also unclear. However, some Tamil groups, including the Tamil National Alliance, have come out in support of the former general believing their future would be better suited in his hands.

Many Tamils and Tamil Diaspora will be watching and waiting for the results which are expected to be announced Wednesday. Tamils may matter right now, but once the election is passed it is unclear what role they will play in post-war Sri Lanka and whether either candidate will be committed to continued reconciliation after decades of violence.


***UPDATE***
President Rajapaksa was re-elected Tuesday by a seventeen percent margin. Shortly after the results were announced, Sri Lankan military forces surrounded the hotel where Fonseka was staying. However, Fonseka was able to leave the hotel without further confrontation. Supporters of Fonseka are charging Rajapaksa with abusing his power during the election, as well as voting irregularities. Fonseka has announced that he intends to leave the island due to death threats, but that the Sri Lankan government is baring his attempt to do so. President Rajapaksa says his government is investigating whether Fonseka gave inaccurate information to a newspaper regarding possible war crimes and whether he should be prosecuted.

As for voter turnout, the BBC is reporting that nearly seventy percent of the population turned out to vote, but only thirty percent of Tamils. The low Tamil turnout is most likely attributed to dissatisfaction, as well as displacement that prevented many from registering to vote.