Sri Lanka's opposition says it will launch mass campaign against election violence

Sri Lanka's opposition said Monday it would launch a mass campaign calling on the government to restore democracy in the island nation after tense Eastern Province elections that it says were tainted by vote tampering and intimidation.

The government hailed Saturday's vote as a return to democracy in the country's east less than a year after it drove out the rebels who had controlled the region for 13 years.

But the opposition says the poll — in which the ruling party coalition took 20 out of 37 seats — was irreparably flawed.

"We will launch a mass campaign ... and will continue it until democracy is restored," said Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader and head of the United National Party.

Independent monitors reported dozens of incidents of vote tampering and said a faction of former rebels allied with the government were responsible for a wave of intimidation before the campaign that made it impossible to hold a fair vote.

Wickremesinghe said the vote was marred by violence and rigging.

"Today, there is no free and fair elections in Sri Lanka," he said. "We are taking another step toward dictatorship."

Rauff Hakeem, leader of the opposition Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said they are collecting evidence to file a suit to overturn the election.

Health Minister Nimal de Silva dismissed the opposition's complaints.

"We would most welcome such litigation because we can prove beyond any reasonable doubt before the court that the elections were free and fair," he said.

He said there were a few minor incidents, but nothing that would have affected the outcome of the vote.