Lanka polls: Turnout 70%, Rajapaksas expected to win

COLOMBO: Sri Lankans, wearing face masks and carrying their own pens, turned out in large numbers to vote on Wednesday in the twice-postponed parliamentary election. The poll is expected to be won by the powerful Rajapaksa family-run Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP).
According to chairman of the National Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya, the election, conducted amidst Covid-19 pandemic fears, concluded in a peaceful manner, with the voter turnout being 70%. Under the guidelines, every voter’s hands were cleaned before and after voting as special arrangements were made to transfer the indelible ink to the index finger, with no physical contact with any surface at the polling station. The election commission had allowed the voters to take a black or blue colour ballpoint pen to mark the vote. The polls closed at 5 pm local time. The counting will take place only on Thursday and results would be announced later in the evening.
Rajapaksa’s SLPP is expected to win control of the 225-member assembly by a comfortable margin, according to analysts.