Initial results released by Sri Lanka's commissioner of elections up to 7 a.m. Thursday indicated that the ruling United National Party (UNP) of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was heading for a clear victory with a vast majority at Wednesday's elections for 222 local government bodies.
Out of 97 results announced, the UNP had won 95 local government bodies while the People's Alliance (PA) of President Chandrika Kumaratunga had won only two and the leftist JVP or People's Liberation Front could not obtain even a single local government body.
The results so far showed an increase in the UNP vote base anda sharp reduction in the those of the PA and JVP.
While results are expected to come in throughout the day as counting is completed for each local body, the final results are expected to be announced later on Thursday.
A 65 percent voter turnout had been recorded at Wednesday's poll at which 9.57 million were eligible to vote according to the Election Secretariat.
Altogether 26,326 candidates are contesting for 4,394 seats in 311 local bodies at the election in three stages. The poll in the war-torn north and east of the country for 69 local authorities will be held on March 25 while polling for 20 other local bodies postponed following a court ruling will be held later.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2002)
