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Sri Lanka president's party appears headed for election win, but coalition government likely

Associated Press, Sun April 4, 2004 04:00 EDT . TIM SULLIVAN - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga's political alliance appeared headed for a victory Sunday in parliamentary elections, though it seemed unlikely to win an absolute majority and would have to forge a coalition government. Sri Lanka - 's election commissioner paved the way for the release of final results after declaring Sunday that voting would not be held again in two areas where there were widespread reports of election fraud.Election Commissioner Dayanada Dissanayake made his comments after meeting with leaders of the island's major political parties to discuss the reported voting irregularities. ``We had a lengthy discussion and my decision is that there is no need for re-polling,'' Dissanayake told reporters. While the vote went far smoother than most in Sri Lanka - , there were widespread reports in a handful of areas of voter intimidation and the stuffing of ballot boxes. Politicians who attended the meeting on Sunday said neither of the main parties had asked that polling be held again in the two areas one in the country's central highlands, and the other in the east. Neither area is in the heartland of support for the Tiger rebels, where there were also reports of voting fraud.
The president's United People's Freedom Alliance was confident that it would emerge the winner.``The alliance has received the people's mandate to form the next government,'' Harim Peiris, Kumaratunga's top aide, said Saturday. The president herself is elected separately, and will remain in office until 2005. Even if the party fails to win the necessary majority of 113 seats in Parliament, Peiris insisted it would be able to forge a ruling coalition. Part of Kumaratunga's support, he said, came from her approach to the peace talks.Kumaratunga has dismissed the prime minister's negotiations, saying he has made far too many concessions to the Tigers, a ruthless, secretive group that fought for nearly two decades for an independent homeland for the minority ethnic Tamils. Most Sri Lankans are Sinhalese. However, the Tigers have said they would be willing to negotiate with whichever party wins the elections.

Kumaratunga insists she wants peace talks, but refuses to give the rebels the degree of autonomy they demand. A fragile cease-fire has held for two years, but is already complicated by stalled talks, the corrosive rivalry between the president and prime minister and a split in rebel ranks.Surprise support for the Buddhist monk-led party, the National Heritage Party, could also cause difficulties for the Tigers. The monk-politicians see themselves as defenders of a Sinhalese Buddhist culture they believe is under threat from the Tamil Tigers who are Hindu and Western-style consumerism.The monks could become powerful political players as each of the two main parties tries to form coalitions and pass legislation.They insist, though, that they won't join any coalition.``Our party will not join any government,'' party official Thilak Karunaratne said Sunday, before the meeting got underway. ``In Parliament we will sit as a separate group, and our support will be decided case-by-case.''Turnout was high for the vote, with officials saying about 75 percent of the country's 12.8 million eligible voters cast ballots.