Sri Lanka result promising

Sri Lanka's ruling coalition won the latest in a string of provincial elections at the weekend, a strong result which analysts said was likely to spur its leader to call early national and presidential polls.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's coalition won 38 seats in the 55-member council of his native Southern Province. The United Peoples Freedom Alliance won 68 per cent of the vote, less than the 70-80 per cent it had forecast in the province where Rajapaksa has started massive development projects including work on the country's largest port.

The margin was still strong enough that Rajapaksa is now likely to call early national elections.