UPFA victory endorses war - GoSL spokesman

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2008, 06:58 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has claimed that the people of the Sabaragamuwa Province and North Central Province have "fully endorsed" the stand and policy of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in "defeating terrorism" as the ruling alliance won the elections in Sabaragamuwa with a majority of more than 125,000 votes (55.38%) against the UNP, which secured 40.53% of the votes. In North Central Province, the UPFA polled 56.37% and the UNP 37.64%, 100,000 less than the UPFA.

The UPFA victory in the elections to the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council and North Central Provincial Council, has proved that the people endorsed the policy of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa in continuing the "war for defeating terrorism and taking forward the country towards economic development," said the SL government Spokesman and Minister of Media and Information, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, in a statement to media.

JVP received 19,068 (2.23%) of the votes in Sabaragamuwa Province and 26,738 (4.90%) in the North Central Province.