Presidential in Sri Lanka: victory against the Tamil rebellion claimed by the 2 main candidates

Getting re-elected and staying in power: this is the goal that the outgoing President of Sri Lanka intends to achieve on Tuesday in the presidential elections. Mahinda Rajapakse, whose popularity exploded last year thanks to victory against the Tamil rebellion, hopes to capitalize on it.

His main opponent may well thwart his plans. He is none other than the former head of the Armies. Sarath Fonseka resigned from this post in November. He is running for the opposition. He too claims victory against the Tamil separatist rebellion, which was declared last May.

The conflict between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam left between 80,000 and 100,000 people dead from 1972 to 2009.

Last year the army surrounded the separatist rebels in their last strongholds in the northeast of the island and gave them the coup de grace last May.

Whatever the outcome of the ballot, the two main candidates will have to respond to accusations of the United Nations and European countries of war crimes and human rights violations during this final phase of the conflict.

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