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Campaign ends for Sri Lanka election

V.S. Sambandan

Conflict resolution and economic conditions are the two main issues in presidential poll

— Photo: Sriyantha Walpola

A KEEN CONTEST: Sri Lankan presidential candidates Ranil Wickremesinghe (right) with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse during the filing of nominations recently.

COLOMBO: Campaigning for Sri Lanka's fifth presidential election ended at midnight Monday with major rallies by the two main candidates, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The election will be held on Thursday and the final results are expected on Friday. The election is seen as one that is too close to call, with both candidates capturing the imagination of distinct segments of the 13.32-million electorate.

The approach to conflict resolution and economic conditions are the two main issues that influence the voters' mind. The unity of the nation is a key slogan, with both candidates emphasising that they would ensure that the country is not divided.

Mr. Rajapakse, with his accent on preserving the unitary state, has won over the minds of a majority of uncommitted voters in the Sinhala-majority districts. Mr. Wickremesinghe, who favours power-sharing, is preferred in the multi-ethnic electoral districts.

Critical factors

The approach of the two candidates in their negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is seen as another critical factor. Voters favouring Mr. Rajapakse hold the view that he would take a strong position and "would not compromise security" when dealing with the LTTE. Mr. Wickremesinghe's supporters say his approach is "pragmatic and practical."

With both candidates promising to lower prices, focus also turned on the economy and cost of living. .

Mr. Rajapakse, who follows a left-of-centre path, is perceived as one who would move Sri Lanka away from "globalisation and economic dependence on the west."

Sinhalese small traders prefer him as Mr. Wickremesinghe "supports only the big businessman." The outcome would depend on how specific ethno-religious communities vote.

Sinhalese divided

The majority Sinhalese comprise 74 per cent of the population, followed by Sri Lankan Tamils (12.6 per cent), Muslims (7.1 per cent), Indian Tamils (5.5 per cent), and others (0.8 per cent).

The non-Buddhist Sinhalese, who are mainly Catholics or other Christians, are about 5 per cent of the population.

The majority Sinhalese-Buddhists (69.3 per cent) are nearly equally divided between the two main parties, Mr. Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Mr. Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), making the role played by the other ethno-religious groups critical in winning the election.

In the south, the outcome would largely be determined by the mix of party loyalties and the voting preference of the ethno-religious groups.

The role played by the LTTE in influencing the Tamil voters' turnout in the north and east is another critical factor. A low turnout there may affect the prospects of Mr. Wickremesinghe.

According to media reports, the former LTTE regional military commander, V. Muralitharan (`Col.' Karuna) has appealed to the eastern Tamils not to boycott the election and vote for Mr. Rajapakse, as he had promised to review the ceasefire agreement between the Government and the LTTE.

At stake is not just who would be the next Constitutionally-powerful Executive President. The nature of the mandate would also play a large role in determining if Sri Lanka would stay on the path of political power-sharing or entrench itself as a unitarist state.

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