Security Forces Deployed as Election Voting Commences

Voting commenced throughout Sri Lanka on 26 January 2010 in the country’s fiercely contested presidential election. Thousands of security forces were deployed to key locations ahead of the voting, as government officials stated that they expect militants to launch attacks to try to disrupt the electoral process. Although two low-intensity bombings were reported in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, no disruptive attacks have been reported at polling stations or other locations in Sri Lanka. It may take some time for the results of the election to emerge, and political observers have noted that there is no clear frontrunner between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former General Sarath Fonseka.