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| Turnout | 74.50% | |||||||||||||||||||
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 polling divisions won by – Mahinda Rajapaksa – Sarath Fonseka | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2010 Sri Lankan presidential election was the 6th presidential election, held on 26 January 2010. The elections were announced on 23 November 2009 when incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to seek a fresh mandate prior to the expiration of his term in 2011.[1] Nominations were accepted on 17 December 2009.[2]
Rajapaksa, who was elected president for a 6-year term in November 2005, was the candidate of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance. General Sarath Fonseka, a former commander of the Sri Lankan Army, was his main opponent in the election. Fonseka had been endorsed by a number of main opposition parties, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
President Rajapaksa proceeded to win re-election, over 57% of all votes cast.[3][4] Fonseka received over 40%, carrying the formerly LTTE-occupied Northern and Eastern Provinces. The remaining twenty candidates all garnered less than 0.5% of the popular vote.
- ^ "President decides to hold the Presidential Election". Government Information Department. 23 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ^ "5 candidates in the fray". The Sunday Times. 29 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ "Sri Lanka re-elects president; opponent cries foul | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle". Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
- ^ "Rajapaksa Sweeps to Sri Lanka Victory as Fonseka Cries Foul". BusinessWeek. 27 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.