Sri Lanka Army Defies Order To Keep President At Post Despite Poll Defeat

The Sri Lankan army defied orders from President Mahinda Rajapaksa to keep him in his post "by force" even after he lost his bid for a third term on Thursday, the campaign spokesman of the new president claimed on Saturday.

"The army chief got orders to deploy the troops on the ground across the country. They tried attempts to continue by force. The army chief defied all the orders he got in the last hours," Rajitha Senaratne to reporters in Colombo.

"We spoke to the army chief and told him not to do this. He kept the troops in the barracks and helped a free and fair election," Senaratne also said.

Rajapaksa, whose decade-long term in the government had become increasingly authoritarian and marred by corruption and nepotism according to critics, was voted out of power on Thursday.

He denied allegations that he tried to cling on to power, saying he decided to let then-opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena assume the country's top post after looking at the trend of election results in the early hours of Friday, said Rajapaksa's spokesman, Mohan Samaranayake.

"When U.S. State Secretary John Kerry spoke to Rajapaksa over the phone, the former president assured him there will be a smooth power transition as stipulated in the constitution," Samaranayake told Reuters.

Rajapaksa, who gathered 47.6 percent of the vote compared to Sirisena's 51.3 percent, conceded his defeat and left his official residence before the official results were announced.

The former leader remained popular among Sinhala Buddhists, who form 70 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million people, while Sirisena was supported by ethnic Tamils in the north and residents in Muslim-dominated areas.

There have been speculations before the polls that Sirisena's voters will be forced to stay out of the polling centers and that the military will intervene if Rajapaksa looked set to lose.

Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said he is unaware of Rajapaksa's order to the military to back him, maintaining that the military stayed out of all the stages of the electoral process.

"Sri Lanka's military will not do anything to disrupt the democratic traditions and process," he said.

Leaders of other countries congratulated Sirisena for his victory, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

"On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Sri Lanka on the successful and peaceful conclusion of Sri Lanka's presidential election and incoming President Maithripala Sirisena on his victory. I also commend the outgoing administration of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for facilitating a swift and orderly transition of power. Beyond the significance of this election to Sri Lanka, it is also a symbol of hope for those who support democracy all around the world," Obama said in a statement on Saturday.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron also congratulated Sirisena, urging him to support the United Nations probe on human rights abuses: "I welcome the fact that outgoing President Rajapaksa has accepted the democratic will of the people and committed to ensuring a smooth transfer of power. I encourage President-elect Sirisensa to support the ongoing UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights investigation into human rights abuses so that the issues of the past can be addressed and the country can move forward to a brighter, peaceful future where all Sri Lankans can play a role."

India's Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi joined in the chorus of well-wishers, saying he looks forward into receiving him in India.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan also welcomed Sirisena's ascension to the post, saying he is confident that his country and Sri Lanka will be able to strengthen their bilateral relations as "two brotherly countries."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, lauded the country for its "peaceful and credible election."