Sri Lanka: Maithripala Sirisena congratulates Gotabaya on 'historic' victory in presidential elections

Colombo [Sri Lanka], Nov 18 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday congratulated Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his "historic" victory in the presidential elections.
"My heartiest congratulations to the President-elect @GotabayaR on his historic victory!," Sirisena said in a tweet.
Sri Lanka-based Colombo Page reported that the country's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also congratulated the President-elect on his victory.
The Prime Minister was quoted as saying in a statement that the Premier said they value democracy and a decision will be made on the next Parliamentary elections after discussing it with Speaker, party leaders and government Members of Parliament.
Sri Lanka's Elections Chief Mahinda Deshapriya on Sunday afternoon confirmed that opposition candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa had won the presidential elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Rajapaksa for his victory in the elections.
"Congratulations @GotabayaR on your victory in the Presidential elections. I look forward to working closely with you for deepening the close and fraternal ties between our two countries and citizens, and for peace, prosperity as well as security in our region," Modi had tweeted.
"I also congratulate the people of Sri Lanka for the successful conduct of the elections," he said.
Rajapaksa, who has been credited for having crushed the Tamil Tigers 10 years ago, focused his campaign on his credentials as the defence secretary that brought a close to the bloody 26-year civil war, while also calling for an overhaul of economic policies implemented by Premadasa's UNP during its five-year charge of the parliament.
To win, a candidate has to secure at least 50% + one vote in the first round of counting, the Elections Commission Chairman had said.
Rajapaksa, a former defence secretary and brother of two-time former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, based his campaign on providing strong leadership on national security issues, following coordinated bombings in April that killed at least 269 people.
He will be sworn in as the seventh President of Sri Lanka tomorrow morning, November 18, in Anuradhapura, his party sources confirmed to ColomboPage. (ANI)