Sri Lanka's incumbent prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, the ruling party's candidate, casts his vote at a polling booth in his home town of Beliatta , south Sri Lanka, Nov. 17, 2005. Sri Lankan presidential election started on Thursday as 13.3 million voters began to cast their ballots to choose their new president from 13 contenders. (Xinhua Photo)

    COLOMBO, Nov. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lanka's incumbent prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse took an early lead in Thursday's presidential election, according to official results declared by the Elections Department here Friday.

    At 6:45 a.m. local time (0045 GMT), Rajapakse, having polled 2,022,042 votes or 51.06 percent of the 3.90 million votes declared, led the main opposition leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had polled 1,888,111 votes or 47.68 percent.

    Rajapakse gained heavily in the Sinhala majority dominated south of the country with Wickremesinghe's votes coming mainly from the ethnic and religious minorities, analysts pointed out.

    Over 13.3 million voters were eligible to vote at the election and the Elections Chief Dayananda Dissanayake said that around 75 percent of them had exercised their franchise in the election to elect the country's next president for a six-year term. Enditem

    Polls close in Sri Lanka's presidential election

    COLOMBO, Nov. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The voting closed in Sri Lanka's presidential poll at 4 p.m. local time on Thursday with average national turnout estimated to be between 70-80 percent.

    Election officials said there was brisk voting in the Sinhala majority dominated south of the island while the war torn Tamil regions of north and east recorded a low poll.

    At least four people were killed while 14 others were injured including six policemen in separate incidents of violence in the eastern province, police said.

    In the eastern district of Batticaloa, the European Union pollsmonitors had withdrawn from duties citing security fears followingtwo separate bomb throwing incidents in the district.

    In the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel dominated northern province the polling was less than 20 percent with the Jaffna city recording only 1.05 percent polling, Rohana Jagathchandra, an official for the independent polls monitors People's Action for Free and Fair Elections, said.

    The LTTE rebels had advised the Tamils to stay away from the election. In the Sinhala dominated south the vote had been largelyfree and fair with sporadic minor incidents recorded.

    The incumbent prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, the ruling party's candidate, voted in his home town of Beliatta in the deep south while the opposition candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe exercised his vote in the capital Colombo.

    The final result is expected to be announced around early morning on Friday. Enditem

    Sri Lanka's presidential election goes peacefully

    COLOMBO, Nov. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lanka's 5th presidential election was held largely peaceful on Thursday as 13.3 million voters cast their ballots to choose their new president from 13 contenders.

    Among the 13 candidates, Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lankan Prime Minister and the ruling party's candidate Mahinda Rajapakse are two of front runners.

    In a polling station situated inside the campus of Colombo University, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims cast their vote one by one with the assistance of election officials.

    The voters had different opinions on the outcome of the ongoing presidential election.

    "This is a one-horse race. Ranil (Wickremesinghe) is more professional. I voted for him. He will win the election," said 75-year-old lawyer Mohamed Mohideen Fuard.

    Businessman Ajwarddeen, 51, seconded Mohamed, saying the business environment will improve if Wickremesinghe could be elected.

    However, 69-year-old Arthur Jayawadena said he will vote for Rajapakse at the entrance of the polling station.

    "Mahinda (Rajapakse) will unite all Sinhalese to solve the country's problems," said Arthur, who was a marketing director before retirement.

    Senior police officer Palitha Siniwandan, who was inspecting the polling station, said there were no violence reported in Colombo.

    Palitha's remarks was echoed by Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, who said at noon time that "there has been no reports of incidents so far in the country's fifth president election and all polling stations are in order."

    Election officials and polls monitors said high and brisk voting was recorded in the Sinhala majority-dominated south, but polling in the Tamil minority north and eastern areas was low.

    Tamil's cultural capital Jaffna was observing a protest shutdown with less people seen on the streets.

    The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) urged the Tamil minority to stay away from the poll, claiming that they had no faith in both Rajapakse and Wickremesinghe.

    In the eastern province, the polling has been good in the Muslim-dominated pockets while the Tamil community was showing less enthusiasm, officials added.

    Two more explosions rocked the polling stations in the eastern Batticaloa town following two explosions on Wednesday night, police said.

    In the Muslim-dominated town of Kalmunai, the opposition parties complained of intimidation of voters.

    About 13,327,160 people aged over 18 are eligible to vote during the nine-hour polling period from 7:00 a.m. (0100GMT) to 4:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).

    The election is staging at 10,486 polling stations islandwide including 233 cluster polling stations set up in the government-controlled areas for the voters residing in the areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

    Counting of ballot papers will begin as soon as the voting endsand the final result of the election will be announced early Friday, said Dissanayake.

    The government deployed 24,000 police officers and more troops to keep order during the presidential election, and over 22,000 election observers from local and abroad were being detailed across the island country.

    An independent poll survey had shown that the issue of cost of living and the peace process with Tamil Tigers were the two main issues in the election.

    Rajapakse has pledged a tough line on the Tamil rebels as he forged election pacts with the leftist JVP (People's Liberation Front) and the Sinhalese nationalist party JHU (National Heritage Party).

    By contrast, the opposition United National Party leader Wickremesinghe vowed to bring about a permanent resolution to the ethnic problem through a political solution based on the current framework.

    Rajapakse and Wickremesinghe also have different opinions on economic policy. Rajapakse vowed to build up a "national economy" by attributing the positive attributes of free market economy withdomestic aspirations. Wickremesinghe put more emphasis on free market policies and foreign investment. Enditem

        Sri Lankans head to polls for new president

    COLOMBO, Nov. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan presidential election started Thursday morning as 13.3 million men and women began to cast their ballots to choose their new president from 13 contenders.

    About 13,327,160 people aged over 18 are eligible to vote on Thursday during a nine-hour polling period from 7:00 a.m. (0100GMT) to 4:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).

    The election is staging at 10,486 polling stations island wide including 233 cluster polling stations set up in the government-controlled areas for the voters residing in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

    Among the 13 candidates, Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lankan Prime Minister and the ruling party's candidate Mahinda Rajapakse are two of front runners.

    An independent poll survey had shown that the issue of cost of living and the peace process with Tamil Tigers were the two main issues in the election.

    President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who will end her second term in office in December, went to her hometown of Nittambuwa, 26 km northeast of Colombo, to cast her ballot.

    "I have ability to bring lasting peace to the island country ifelected," Rajapakse said, stressing he will win the election definitely as he polled his ballot in Beliatta town, 180 km south of Colombo.

    Wickremesinghe along with his wife Maithree put his vote in a polling booth at University of Colombo.

    "People are voting for me on three issues -- hunger, unemployment and peace," Wickremesinghe said after his polling, adding "I am confident of victory and peace process with the LTTE would be my first priority when I am elected."

    "There has been no any reports of violence incidents so far in the country's fifth president election and all polling stations is in order," Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said aftersix hours of the voting.

    Counting of ballot papers will begin as soon as the voting ends and the final result of the election will be announced early Friday, said Dissanayake.

    However, the election was marked with low polling in the Tamil minority north eastern areas while high and brisk voting was recorded in the Sinhala majority dominated south, election officials and polls monitors said.

    After five hours of voting, just 516 people had voted in the northern capital of Jaffna. The city was observing a protest shut down with less people seen on the road.

    The LTTE urged the Tamil minority to stay away from the poll claiming that they had no faith in both leading candidates, the incumbent premier Mahinda Rajapakse and the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

    In the rest of the country in areas dominated by the Sinhala majority, over 50 percent polling had taken place on average by noon.

    The government deployed 24,000 police officers and more troops to keep order during the presidential election, and over 22,000 election observers from local and abroad were being detailed across the island country.

    A neck and neck campaign race and fine weather are expected to have more voters to the election booths. Enditem