Sri Lankan presidential election, 1999
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The 1999 presidential election in Sri Lanka took place on December 21, 1999. President Chandrika Kumaratunga defeated Ranil Wickremasinghe to win a second term in office.
[edit] Campaign
Sri Lankan presidents are elected for six-year terms; with the previous election having taken place in 1994, an election normally would not have been held until 2000. Kumaratunga called the election early, hoping to strengthen her political standing and increasingly shaky position in Parliament.
Kumaratunga vowed to continue her "war for peace" strategy again the LTTE rebels. Wickremasinghe called for the commencement of direct negotiations with the LTTE.
Eight days before the election, Kumaratunga was nearly killed by an LTTE assassination attempt. She lost her right eye, and appeared heavily bandaged at campaign events. The resulting sympathy vote is believed to have propelled her to re-election.
[edit] Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandrika Kumaratunga | People's Alliance | 4,312,157 | 51.1 |
| Ranil Wickremasinghe | United National Party | 3,602,748 | 42.7 |
| Nandana Gunathilaka | Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna | 344,173 | 4.1 |
| Others | Independents and minor parties | 176,676 | 2.1 |
| Total | 8,435,754 | 100.0 | |
Source: [1]
| Elections in Sri Lanka |  |
| Parliamentary elections 1947 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 (Mar) | 1960 (July) | 1965 | 1970 | 1977 1989 | 1994 | 2000 | 2001 | 2004 |
|
| Presidential elections 1982 | 1988 | 1994 | 1999 | 2005 |
|
| Sri Lankan political parties | |
