Sri Lankan leader promises peace after poll win

(April 10, 2010) Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose party cemented his political dominance by winning a majority in parliamentary elections, promised on Saturday to bring peace and prosperity to a nation battered by decades of civil war. Rajapaksa said in a statement that his party's victory in Thursday's elections encourages the government's policies on “peace and reconciliation, reconstruction, greater infrastructure development.” The United States embassy said in a statement that the election victory provides Rajapaksa a mandate to address power sharing and human rights issues. Rajapaksa has yet to follow up on a promise made after last year's defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels to discuss a power-sharing deal with the Tamils, more than 200,000 of whom remain displaced by the war. Rajapaksa won re-election as president in polls three months ago, riding on his popularity following the end of the decades-long civil war. His party held a majority in the outgoing Parliament. With 45 seats still undeclared Saturday, Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance had secured 117 seats in Thursday's election - enough for a simple majority in the 225-seat Parliament and to form a government. It is uncertain whether Rajapaksa's coalition can secure the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution - which could open the way for an amendment to allow the president to serve beyond the end of his second term in 2017.