Elections

Vote counting begins in presidential election in Sri Lanka, various violent incidents reported

cde.news desk 17 November 2019, 05:57 · 1 min read

epa07998518 A security officer stands near election materials to be carried by Sri Lankan election officials (not pictured) before they are taken to their respective polling booths, on the eve of the presidential elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 15 November 2019. Millions of registered voters will cast their ballots during the country's presidential election scheduled for 16 November 2019. EPA-EFE/STR

Vote counting began in Sri Lanka after polls closed on Saturday for 16 million eligible voters looking to choose their new president.

Polls closed at 5 p.m local time (1130 UTC) and results for the island nation’s new leader are expected on Sunday at the earliest.

The winning candidate must secure over 50% of the votes before being declared president.

In a country where ethnic divisions are still raw after a decades-long civil war and this year’s deadly Easter Sunday bombings, Colombo-based Centre for Monitoring Election Violence reported 69 incidents up until 10 a.m. (04:30 UTC).

This included a report of gunmen shooting at buses transporting Muslim voters in the Anuradhapura district, 180 kilometres north of the capital, Columbo.

Via DW

Filed under Elections Sri Lanka

Topics Elections Sri Lanka

Vote counting begins in presidential election in Sri Lanka, various violent incidents reported

More from Elections

Croatia’s PM Plenkovic seeks 3rd term amidst corruption scandal and opposition

Trump holds slight lead over Biden in 6 swing states

Conservatives set for heavy UK election defeat to opposition Labour, survey shows