The Tamils voted en masse for Sirisena in January after boycotting previous elections, effectively blocking Rajapaksa’s attempt to become a third-term president.
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“I am conceding. We have lost a good fight”, he told AFP.
Rajapaksa said that his UPFA has won eight districts and Wickremesinghe’s UNP has 11 out of a total of 22. “This time too we have lost”.
Wickremesinghe had described Monday’s vote as a referendum on Rajapakse, who was bullish about his chances on polling day, but admitted on Tuesday it had been a “difficult fight”.
With allies and additional seats to be selected based on parties’ proportional representation in the legislature, Wickremesinghe’s coalition was expected to secure the 113 seats needed to form a majority.
Electoral authorities said that the vote was orderly, but there were fears that Rajapaksa winning the prime ministerial role could trigger a power struggle with reigning President Maithripala Sirisena, who has said that he will not appoint Rajapaksa regardless of the voting results.
Wickremesinghe defeated former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who led the island nation for a decade and was seeking to regain political power after a surprise defeat at the polls in January. However, just days into his term Sirisena called for early parliamentary elections, pointing to gridlock among legislators. He stopped short of conceding defeat ahead of full results expected at around midday (0630 GMT).
The 69-year-old remains hugely popular among large sections of the majority Sinhalese community for presiding over the crushing defeat of Tamil guerrillas in 2009 after their 37-year war for a separate homeland.
Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections signify the strength of the country’s democracy and the resilience of its institutions, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen said Tuesday.
The UPFA’s big victory margins in January presidential election, however, have not been affected by the UNP’s gains or the votes that have gone to the Marxist JVP or the People’s Liberation Front.
A possible return to political office by the former president has been treated with significant consternation by many Sri Lankans, with the head of the country’s central bank saying he would resign if the strongman was elected.
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The main battle is between the UNF led by Wickremesinghe and the UPFA which has Rajapakse as its main candidate. The result is a turning point in the Sri Lankan politics.
