Asia-Pacific
Sri Lanka holds 1st post-civil war general election
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-08 10:40
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COLOMBO - Sri Lankans began to elect their 225 legislators Thursday morning in the island's first parliamentary polls held after the end of the 30-year-old civil war.
Election officials said 14,088,500 people are eligible to cast their votes from 7 am (0130 GMT) to 4 pm (1030 GMT) with 7,620 candidates from 36 political parties and 301 independent groups contesting the election. ?
This will be the first general election held without the presence of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which was defeated by the government troops in May 2009.
Out of the 36 political parties in the race, the main contenders are the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, the main opposition United National Party and the newly formed Democratic National Alliance headed by the leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front.
