Sri Lanka's ruling party headed for victory

Former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has conceded defeat in Sri Lanka's parliamentary election, according to Agence France-Presse.

"My dream of becoming prime minister has faded away," Rajapaksa told AFP. "I am conceding. We have lost a good fight."

Initial results from the general election have given a slight edge to the coalition government.

Udaya Gammanpila, a senior member in Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), said the incumbent United National Party (UNP) was leading in 11 of the 22 districts while UPFA was ahead in just nine.

"We have lost the elections" according to the first results, Gammanpila said on Facebook.

'Support good policies, oppose bad things'

Rajapaksa, a nationalist and two-term president, has ruled out joining any unity government formed by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Speaking with Reuters, Rajapaksa said he would "support good policies and oppose bad things."

Sirisena succeeded Rajapaksa as leader of the UPFA but has moved only recently to assert his control over the party and block his predecessor's path back to power.

Sirisena backed the formation of a minority government led by the UNP after January's election and called the early election in a bid to form a more broadly based administration joined by his own supporters in the UPFA.

Initial results indicated that the UNP was likely to make gains and emerge as the largest single party, but would need outside support to form a viable government.

av/cmk (dpa, Reuters, AFP)