Ruling coalition takes lead in Sri Lanka election

To Sri Lanka now where early results show the country's ruling coalition has taken a lead in the counting of Thursday's parliamentary elections.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance says it is confident of a sweeping victory. But it also says it may miss the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution. Initial results show the Alliance has won 15 of 20 seats so far decided. Meanwhile, the main opposition United National Party is trailing behind with five seats. The poll on Thursday was the first since Rajapaksa declared victory in May in the war with Tamil Tiger militants. The vote will decide 225 members of parliament.

A Sri Lankan police officer goes through election notices as he  stands guard at a polling station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 8, 2010. Sri Lankans voted Thursday for a new Parliament that will decide how to ensure peace and development after decades of civil war, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking to expand his political dominance after winning re-election. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)