Sri Lankans face crucial vote test in war-torn east

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Residents in Sri Lanka's war-ravaged east vote in local elections for the first time in two decades on Saturday, and the government hopes the result will endorse its war to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels.

Security will be tight for the polls in the eastern districts of Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa, where the ruling alliance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has teamed up with former rebels, whom rights groups accuse of abuses such as child soldier recruitment.

Rajapaksa says the poll is crucial to restore democracy to the area, until recently held by the Tamil Tiger rebels, and allow development after 25 years of war.

The elections are also part of the government's blueprint for devolution in minority Tamil areas it hopes will go hand-in-hand with its push to win the war in which tens of thousands of people have died.

"The voters have to decide whether to vote for the UPFA and continue with the development or vote for the opposition and help the (Velupillai) Prabhakaran to regain control," Rajapaksa said, referring to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader.

Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has teamed up with former Tigers, who split from the mainstream group and have formed a political party called the TMVP.

Nearly one million people are eligible to vote for 1,342 candidates to fill 35 seats. The vote underpins the government's twin strategy to defeat the rebels using both the ballot box and the current military offensive.

"It is a very significant election. It is a referendum on the government's military strategy against the LTTE," said Jehan Perera, an analyst with the National Peace Council, a non-partisan advocacy group.