US looks forward to working with Sri Lankan Prez-elect Sirisena: John Kerry

Washington: The US looks forward to working with Sri Lankan president-elect Maithripala Sirisena, Secretary of State John Kerry today said, as he commended outgoing President Mahinda Rajapaksa for accepting the election results. “I look forward to working with President-elect Maithripala Sirisena as his new government works to implement its campaign platform of a Sri Lanka that is peaceful, inclusive, democratic, and prosperous,” Kerry said in a statement soon after Rajapaksa conceded defeat. “I commend President Rajapaksa for accepting the results of the election in the proud tradition of peaceful and orderly transfers of power in Sri Lanka. His words tonight about accepting the verdict of the people and moving forward are important,” Kerry said. [caption id=“attachment_2037861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sri Lanka’s main opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena gestures to photographers as he arrives to cast his vote during the presidential elections at a polling station in Polonnaruwa. AP[/caption] Rajapaksa had called the election two years ahead of schedule, hoping to win a record third six-year term before the defeat of the Tamil Tigers fades in the memory of the people of the island which saw a three decades war over the demand of a separate Tamil Eelam. There was a high voter turn-out for the elections held yesterday. “The Sri Lankan people deserve great credit on the successful conclusion of their elections. They turned out in great numbers to exercise their democratic rights and every vote was a victory for Sri Lanka,” Kerry said. “The United States applauds the Sri Lankan Elections Commissioner, the security forces, Sri Lankan civil society, and the candidates themselves for making sure this election was not marred by unrest and for ensuring a significant drop in campaign-related violence. It will be important for that effort to continue in the coming days,” he added. PTI