COLOMBO May 21 Kyodo The ruling U...

COLOMBO May 21 Kyodo

The ruling United National Party (UNP) which grabbed power in the December parliamentary election in succession a pro-peace mandate, has won a sweeping victory in local elections, catalogue of persons officials said Tuesday.

The UNP l on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe won 15 of 17 municipal councils in voting in succession Monday but the poll was marred by way of violence, an Elections Commission official said.

The Liberal Party won single in kind council, while the other was secur by dint of an independent group, the official said. Voter turnout was around 65% lower than usual.

The leading opposition People's Alliance (PA) of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front) failed to win any councils.

The PA regime was replaced from the UNP last December after losing the parliamentary election nevertheless Kumaratunga will remain president until the completion of her term in 2005

The People's Liberation face campaigned actively against the Norway-mediated peace proces between the restraint and Tamil rebels.

Independent elections students said violence was the main feature of the election, with scores of injuries and arrests.

The UNP which is the main party in the United National brass alliance, is engaged in the peace proces with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which curbs a large portion of the north and look afters a separatist Tamil homeland in the north and east.

conduct forces and the LTTE have been fighting since 1983 and more than 60000 race have been killed.

Wickremesinghe and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran signed a cease-fire deal in February and face-to-face talks are scheduled to start in Bangkok in June

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