President re-elected in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has swept to a second term in office. But his main rival, General Sarath Fonseka has vowed to challenge the result.

Rajapaksa's supporters hit the streets in celebration, setting off fireworks, waving Sri Lankan flags and holding up posters of the president. Fonseka, however, rejects the result.

Fonseka said, "The franchise of the people has not been interpreted properly, has been distorted."

Both men have been credited for their role in the military offensive that defeated the three-decade long insurgency waged by Tamil Tiger rebels.

But a bitter fall out pushed Fonseka to quit, join the opposition and challenge the president, who remains deeply popular with many Sri Lankans.

Phitha, Private Sector Manager, said, "He's got the maturity, he's got the knowledge, what I think -- he's got everything. So I expect him to take our country forward."

Rajapaksa will now have to face Sri Lankans' growing anxiety over the country's economic stagnation.

With Sri Lanka's parliament due to expire by April, a general election is due by mid-year.

Although the powers of the executive presidency are extensive, they can't be fully implemented without the backing of a parliamentary majority.