Polling closes in Sri Lanka presidential election
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-17 23:41

Voting in Sri Lanka's presidential elections ended after nine hours amid sporadic violence and a virtual boycott by minority Tamils, officials said.

Tamils have largely boycotted Thursday's presidential elections in Sri Lanka. [AFP]

Election officials Thursday said voter turnout was extremely low in the island's volatile northern and eastern regions dominated by Tamil rebels where two people were killed and 17 wounded in separate incidents during the voting period.

However, in the rest of the country the turnout was high and there were no reports of major violence, an election official said adding that counting of the ballots would begin in a couple of hours.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in a conflict between separatist Tamil rebels and the government between 1972 and 2002 when a ceasefire came into effect as part of a peace process brokered by Norway.

The first results are expected at midnight (1800 GMT).

A total of 13.3 million people were eligible to vote to elect a president for a six-year term from among 13 candidates. However, the election was seen as a face off between the present and former premiers.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, who wants to review the peace process with the rebels, expressed confidence that he could celebrate his 60th birthday Friday as the country's fifth executive head of state.

His main rival, 56-year-old opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who supports the peace process, was also upbeat.

The island's Tamil minority, around 13 percent of the 19.5 million population, shunned the election which was seen as a setback to Wickremesinghe.

Reports from Tamil-dominated areas in the northeast said tyres were burnt on the road by the guerrillas to discourage voting.