Rajapaksa's comeback fails as Sri Lankan voters back reforms

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's attempt to stage a comeback in Sri Lanka's general election has ended in defeat as results on August 18 showed the alliance that toppled him making decisive gains. 

The ruling United National Party (UNP) was likely to fall just short of an outright majority but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should still command enough support to form a stable government. 

"I invite all of you to join hands," Wickremesinghe, 66, said in a statement. "Let us together build a civilised society, build a consensual government and create a new country." 

The outcome is a triumph for President Maithripala Sirisena, who beat his former ally Rajapaksa in a presidential vote in January and called early parliamentary polls to secure a stronger mandate for reforms. 

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 billions of dollars into turning the Indian Ocean island into a maritime outpost. 

Wickremesinghe's UNP won 93 of the 196 seats up for grabs in multi-member constituencies. The alliance led by Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) took 83 seats after suffering losses. 

Final representation in the 225-seat chamber will be decided when 29 national seats are allocated by proportional representation. 

UNP sources said the party expected to win up to 107 seats overall - just shy of a 113-seat majority. It won 45.7 percent of the popular vote, ahead of 42.4 percent for Rajapaksa. 
 
Failed comeback

Nationalist strongman Rajapaksa set his sights on becoming premier of an SLFP-led government but Sirisena, who succeeded him as party leader in January, has ruled that out and...