Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling party has won a majority of seats in the country's first parliamentary elections since the government ended its long-running war with Tamil rebels.
The elections commission said Friday that the president's United People's Freedom Alliance has won about 117 seats so far in the 225-member parliament, with at least 45 seats still undecided. President Rajapaksa called the results a "triumph of democracy" and a clear sign of the "confidence" the people have in him.
A party must win 113 seats to get a simple majority and form a government.The UPFA was widely expected to dominate Thursday's poll, but may end up short of winning the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution.
The main opposition, United National Party, has so far secured 46 seats. UNP opposition official Tissa Attanayake expressed disappointment in the outcome and reiterated complaints that the ruling party committed serious violations during the campaign.