Rajapakse set for an easy win.

New Delhi, Jan. 15: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems set for an easy victory over his rival and former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka in the January 26 presidential poll, according to an opinion survey. Viplav Communications Pvt. Ltd, which has earlier been strategic advisers to numerous Indian politicians and conducted election surveys in India, conducted the survey in Sri Lanka. The findings of the survey were made available to IANS here. The poll shows Mr Rajapakse leading in all provinces other than the Tamil-dominated north and multi-racial east and enjoying a 12 per cent lead over his opponent in the island as a whole.

According to the survey, Mr Rajapakse holds a dominant lead among the majority Sinhalese population who account for 74 per cent of Sri Lanka's population. He also enjoys a narrow lead among the Muslim voters. However, he trails behind Mr Fonseka among the Tamils of the north and east, the war zone where the military crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009 leaving thousands dead.

Among the Tamils of Indian origin living in the tea plantation areas, Mr Rajapakse enjoys majority support. The sample size for the January 6-13 survey was 10,225. According to it, people have graded the President very high on the skills and experience needed to run the next government. Mr Fonseka's inexperience as a political administrator coupled with a pro-Rajapakse environment in the country was the clinching factor, the survey said. The President is expected to do very well in Sinhalese-dominated North Central, Southern and Sabargamuwa provinces.

Mr Fonseka has a good support base in eastern and northern provinces. He also has the support of Tamils in Colombo. Mr Rajapakse has a slight edge over Mr Fonseka among Muslim voters. Muslims, who also speak Tamil in many areas, are the second largest minority in Sri Lanka after the Tamils, who are dominantly Hindus. According to the survey, Sinhalese Christians - most Sinhalese are Buddhists - support mostly the President compared to Tamil Christians.

-IANS

Link to 'The Asian Age' Online Article