Abide by polls results, UNSG tells Opposition
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed relief yesterday that Sri
Lanka’s Presidential elections have concluded relatively free of
violence and he reiterated his call to the country’s political parties
to abide by the official results and to pursue any concerns peacefully.
Sri Lanka’s Department of Elections announced on Wednesday that the
incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected President after obtaining
nearly 58 per cent of the more than 10 million votes cast across the
island country. Sarath Fonseka finished second of the 22 candidates with
40 per cent.
“I realize that the election has been quite a hard-fought one,” Ban
said in response to questions from journalists at United Nations
Headquarters in New York.
These are the first polls conducted in Sri Lanka since a decades-long
civil war between Government forces and the LTTE ended last May.
“I had been concerned at the level of violence during the campaign. I
am relieved that the vote yesterday appears to have been relatively
peaceful, despite some violent incidents.”
Noting that Sri Lankan electoral authorities had declared the
results, the Secretary-General appealed to political parties “to abide
by the decision and rules and regulations, including addressing any
electoral grievances.
“I truly hope that all sides will see the wisdom of acting with
restraint and responsibility in the interest of the nation.
This would bode well for future elections and national harmony.”
|