Sri Lanka Election: As Vote Count Starts, Tensions Increase

(thepublicsquare.com)

Supporters of Mithripala Sirisena, a former government minister who deserted the president and changed sides to become the opposition's candidate in November, said figures showing a high voter turnout suggested a popular clamour for change.
"This means there is a strong sense that people need a change," said Rajiva Wijesinhe, one of more than two dozen lawmakers who defected from the ruling party in the run-up to Thursday's election on the Indian Ocean island.  

But it was far from clear who would win and, adding to tension as election officials prepared to count millions of votes, police said hundreds of officers were on standby in the capital, Colombo, in case of trouble. 

"We consider the next 6-7 days as the election period. Processions and protests are prohibited during this period," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told reporters.
"If anyone resists police action to secure law and order, we may have to use force."

Sri Lanka does not have a history of unrest over disputed elections. But a sitting president has never before been ousted and the prospect of this has fanned speculation the result could be distorted or even that the military might take control if Rajapaksa looks set to lose.

(Reuters)