Defeat for Rajapaksa will keep Sri Lanka on a non-aligned foreign policy course and loosen its ties with China, which during his rule pumped in billions of dollars to try to turn the Indian Ocean island into a maritime outpost.
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Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won 95 seats, losing strength in the parliament and with no obvious allies to form a coalition government.
In his pre-noon statement, Wickremesinghe said, “The verdict endorses the revolution ushered in by the Presidential election held on January 8”.
“I invite all of you to join hands”, current prime minister Wickremesinghe said in a statement as the results continued to accumulate.
The 69-year-old two-time president was quoted as saying that he conceded defeat “after a good fight”.
Rajapaksa abolished the two-term limit for presidents when he was in office, but lost his bid in January for a third term when Sirisena staged an unexpected challenge.
Initial counting of votes from Sri Lanka’s general elections showed that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s attempt to return to power was defeated Tuesday.
The ruling United National Party (UNP) was unlikely to secure an outright majority, but seemed poised to secure enough seats to allow Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to form a stable government.
The Tamil National Alliance (or Iykia Tamil Arasu Katchi-ITAK) has swept the Northern district and Batticalao, and is likely to emerge in a king maker’s role.
The left-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, which has 16 seats, and the six seats controlled by Tamil National Alliance, may also support the government.
President Sirisena showed he intended to take control of the UPFA when he sacked, after the polling ended on Monday, several key leaders known to be close to Rajapaksa and replaced them with his loyalists.
Election analysts had predicted the UNP will fall short of an absolute majority of 113 by just four seats.
Election Commissioner Deshapriya said he expected the release of the final party positions by midday Tuesday, while individual votes garnered by candidates would be announced later.
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The tangled personal rivalry has overshadowed campaigning in Sri Lanka, which has a history of political feuding that has often spilled over into violence and even the assassination of its leaders.
