Sri Lankans began voting today in an election forecast to end in a hung parliament that could further weaken efforts to revive a peace bid with the island's separatist Tamil Tigers.
The third parliamentary vote in four years opened with tight security around the island. Elections are traditionally violent in Sri Lanka, but the run-up to today's poll has been among the least turbulent campaign periods in years.
About three-quarters of the more than 12 million eligible voters were expected to cast ballots as pre-election opinion polls showed neither the ruling United National Party (UNP) nor the United People's Freedom Alliance winning a majority.
Voting closes at 4 p.m. (11 a.m. Irish time), but complete results for the 6,000 candidates battling for 225 parliament seats are not expected until tomorrow.
The election was called nearly four years early by President Chandrika Kumaratunga after a political feud escalated between her and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.