Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa of the governing United People's Freedom Alliance was elected, receiving 50% of the vote.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka rejected her claims and the election went ahead.

After he agreed to reject federalism and renegotiate the ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the JVP and the Jathika Hela Urumaya endorsed him.

Any hopes for Wickremesinghe's victory were effectively dashed when the LTTE ordered Tamil voters, most of whom would likely have voted for him, to boycott the polls.

Sri Lanka had enjoyed strong growth under Wickremesinghe's free-market policies when he was prime minister from 2001 to 2004, but he had also pursued controversial privatizations which Rajapaksa promised to halt.