Tamil political party wins landslide victory in Sri Lankan election It was not a free election at all. In the last days [of the campaign] the military more or less took over the election machinery in the north and tried everything possible to stop the people from voting. But people in the north, despite all odds, came out magnificently on the side of democracy. "The good news is that whatever the government may do, the people are ready to come out for democracy," he said. Britain and other Commonwealth countries had been watching the campaign closely in the run up to November's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, amid concerns over whether they would be able attend if the provincial election had not been free and fair. Throughout the campaign respected election monitors reported violent attacks on TNA supporters. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported daily abuses including arrests of TNA campaigners, attacks on them with iron poles, and the cancellation of an election rally by military intelligence officers. One senior TNA figures had his home stoned by opponents while supporters of Mr Rajapaksa's coalition had military protection for their campaign. CMEV said the turnout had been low in remote areas because the government had failed to honour promises to provide transport to polling stations. There were several incidents of intimidation on polling day. Sri Lanka's president has faced strong criticism from domestic opponents and the international community over human rights abuses since his forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) following a 26 year civil war in 2009, including claims that his government has failed to investigate allegations of war crimes. His forces are accused of killing 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final days of the war. Since his victory, Mr Rajapaksa has been accused of failing to seek reconciliation with the defeated Tamils. TNA leaders have complained about government-sponsored Sinhalese immigration into traditional Tamil areas as workers on infrastructure projects and that Tamil firms have been excluded from reconstruction work in the north. The government has yet to comment on his defeat in the north. Before the election, the TNA northern province leader, former Supreme Court Justice C.V Wigneswaran said he would use a strong victory to press for greater powers for the council despite government opposition. Its 78 per cent victory means it can call a no-confidence vote against Mr Rajapaksa's powerful regional governor, a retired senior army figure. His new government will have control over policing and land use, but its financial powers are heavily restricted.