Colombo: Thousands of opposition supporters
took to the streets of Sri Lanka's capital on Wednesday to protest
the results of the recent presidential election, which they
say was marred by fraud.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured a landslide victory,
defeating his former army chief Sarath Fonseka in the Jan 26
poll, according to official results. But the opposition says
the vote was rigged, and has rejected the results and says it
will mount a court challenge.
Thousands then gathered in a field in central Colombo to
listen to speeches from opposition politicians.
"We all must reject this corrupt election," Anura
Dissanayake, an opposition official, told the flag-waving
crowd.
Election protests are rare in this island nation, but the
demonstration reflected the bitter nature of a presidential
campaign that pitted former allies against one other.
Both Rajapaksa and Fonseka are considered heroes by the
country's Sinhalese majority for their leading roles in
defeating Tamil Tiger rebels last May. But the two fell out at
the end of the war, and Fonseka joined the opposition.
Opposition lawmaker Palitha Range Bandara said today's
protest was the first step in their attempt to challenge the
president's legitimacy. The demonstration passed off without
violence.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 04, 2010, 00:13