COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former defense minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the Sri Lankan presidential elections with 52.25 percent votes.

Rajapaksa has promised a strong leadership to secure the country of 22 million people, international media reports have said.

Rajapaksa led with 50.7 percent, while his chief rival Sajith Premadasa had 43.8 percent, according to the country’s election commission. (Agencies)