Voter turnout low in northern Sri Lanka after explosions (1st Lead)

Jan 26, 2010, 7:08 GMT

Colombo - A series of explosions in northern Sri Lanka ahead of voting in the presidential election lowered turnout in the region, but the rest of the country reported brisk voting, election officials said Tuesday.

Voting in the first national election since the defeat in May of Tamil separatist rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was in progress with no serious incidents in the first five hours of polling.

Before the polls opened, five explosions were reported from the Jaffna Peninsula, which was a major battleground in the government's 26-year war with the LTTE, but there were no immediate details on casualties, said residents in Jaffna, 396 kilometres north of the capital, Colombo.

Police confirmed they heard the blasts but said they did not have reports of any incidents.

Election officials said voter turnout in the first few hours in the region was 19 per cent, compared with an average of 35 per cent in the rest of the country.

Voting began at 7 am (0130 GMT) at about 11,000 polling stations with 14 million people registered to vote. Polling is to end at 4 pm.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, 64, representing the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, is facing former army commander General Sarath Fonseka, 59, who is backed by four leading opposition parties.

Twenty other candidates also were also running but were unlikely to make an impact with the race narrowing down to a close contest between Rajapaksa and Fonseka.

Both the main candidates claim credit for winning the war against the LTTE. The opposition has also vowed to end corruption and what they call a family dictatorship after Rajapaksa appointed relatives to government posts.

Allegations of misuse of state power, including the use of government vehicles, the state media and officials for his re-election campaign have been leveled against Rajapaksa.

The six-week run-up to the elections has been marred by violence, including four deaths.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Gamini Nawaratne, head of the police election secretariat, said more than 900 election complaints were received during the campaign.

Local and foreign election observers have warned of the possibility of violence interrupting the election and have called for a violence-free election. About 70,000 police backed by the armed forces have been deployed to provide election security.

Rajapaksa called for presidential polls two years before his six-year term ends in what was widely believed to be a move to capitalize on the government's military victory over the rebels.

The counting of ballots is due to commence Tuesday night. Results are to be released after midnight, and final results were expected by Wednesday morning.