Presidential candidate Mithripala Sirisena waves at his supporters as he leaves after casting his vote for the presidential election in Polonnaruwa January 8, 2015. Credit: Reuters/Stringer
Bloomberg: Rajapaksa Concedes Defeat in Sri Lanka Election Surprise
WNU Editor: This is a shock. When I first started this blog it was the Sri Lankan civil war that I was focused on (after Iraq and Afghanistan), and it is from this experience that I got to know a lot about Sri Lanka, its politics, and it's leader (President Mahinda Rajapaksa). This was also the first time that I covered a civil war .... a learning process that has helped me be the blogger that I am today .... especially knowing on what to look for, and what resources to trust.
That is why I am surprised by this election defeat. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected .... there was no question in my mind that he was elected with the understanding that his job was to end the civil war against the Tamils by using military means .... and he did so brutally and without any restraint to civilian casualties. After the Tamil defeat .... Sri Lanka was a country that I then personally tuned out .... as far as I was concerned .... with the end of the war .... President Mahinda Rajapaksa was going to position himself to make sure that he would never be voted out of power. He is an authoritarian figure .... being out of power was just not in his DNA.
It appears that I am wrong .... he has been voted out .... and he has accepted it. This is definitely a turning point for Sri Lanka .... a first step to what I hope will be a better and a far more tolerant future.
More News On The Sri Lankan Presidential Election, And The Defeat Of President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka election: president Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat - live -- The Guardian
Sri Lankan president concedes defeat after decade in power -- Reuters
Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa admits defeat in election -- BBC
Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa concedes defeat in presidential vote -- AP
Sri Lankan president concedes defeat in bid for reelection -- Washington Post
Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa concedes election defeat: Official -- AFP
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat -- UPI
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