Sri Lanka ends the Mahinda Raj

Beyond the colourful celebrations, the frenzy of firecrackers and the long line of supporters outside the residence of Maithripala Sirisena on Friday, the story of Sri Lanka's seventh presidential elections was told by a set of numbers.

Sirisena had scripted a sensational win with 6,217,162 votes overall to Mahinda Rajapaksa's 5,768,090. In the Sinhalese-dominated southern provinces and elsewhere, it was Rajapaksa who led with 5,444,490 votes to Sirisena's 5,239,051.

But what really made the difference was this: in the northern and eastern provinces, where the minorities have a significant presence, Rajapaksa received only 323,600 votes to Sirisena's 978,111.

In an nutshell, 69-year-old Rajapaksa, the strongman who vanquished the LTTE in 2009 and was once considered invincible across 10 years and two elections, had lost the support of his minorities -- and with it the country.

The attacks on Muslims by Buddhist hardliners over the last year, the dissatisfaction and sense of fear among the Tamil population, and the disillusionment among the Sinhalese had finally taken its toll. And the verdict was officially sealed when the country's Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya announced: "I declare that Maithripala Sirisena has been duly elected as the President of Sri Lanka."

Supreme Court Justice K Sripavan later administered the oath of office to Sirisena, along with the new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The final twist was this large photograph that continued to greet visitors at 63-year-old Sirisena's residence on Wijerama Road in Colombo even after the results were confirmed: it showed Sirisena sharing a laugh with Rajapaksa when they were in government together.

"I will ensure I deliver the change I promised. I will strengthen Sri Lanka's foreign relations to maintain friendly relations with all nations," Sirisena said later, adding that he would not seek a second term.

"We will have a foreign policy that will mend ties with the international community and all international organisations in order that we derive maximum benefit for our people," he said.

According to sources, Sirisena is likely to finalise his Cabinet on Saturday itself to start working on his 100-day plan for reforms.

A senior army official, who was part of the security cover at Sirisena's residence, termed the stunning win as "a revolution against a dictator".

"This should be a lesson for all South Asian countries," he said.

- Indian Express