Tamil party wins elections in Sri Lanka's ex-war zone

South Asia   24 July 2011 Last updated at 07:42 ET

The government fought hard to do well in the north

Sri Lanka's biggest Tamil party has won local elections in the island's former war zone in the north and east.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) took 18 out of 26 councils in what is being seen as a rare electoral setback for the government of President Rajapaksa.
His Sinhalese-dominated coalition won in all other areas being contested.
The TNA was in effect a proxy of the Tamil Tigers, who troops defeated in May 2009, but it now seeks greater devolution for Sri Lanka's provinces.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the results indicate that ethnic polarisation is still an issue in the country.     Continue reading the main story  
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Tamil Parties Make Strong Showing in Sri Lanka

  By LYDIA POLGREEN    Published: July 24, 2011

Ishara S.Kodikara/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

An alliance of parties linked to the Tamil Tiger rebels won majorities in districts in the north, like Jaffna, and in the east.

NEW DELHI — Voters in northern and eastern Sri Lanka gave an alliance of parties closely linked to the defeated Tamil Tiger insurgency majorities in 18 of 26 local council elections, according to results released Sunday.
The elections allowed residents in many areas the first chance in years to vote  after bearing the brunt of two decades of ethnic conflict, and the results underscored just how deeply divided the country remains two years                                                Full Story