The UPFA won the postal votes in Galle District with 15,501 votes (48.06%) while the UNP received 12,839 votes (39.8%) and the JVP received 3,465 votes (10.78%).

This marked a considerable decrease of the vote percentage for the UPFA. In 2010, the UPFA won the postal votes in Galle District with 16,887 (70.49%) votes.

In 2010, the UNP received only 4,626 votes.

The UPFA won the Hambantota District postal votes with 8,441 votes (49.91%) while the UNP won 5,995 votes. Meanwhile the JVP won 2,401 votes.

In 2010, the UPFA won 9,280 postal votes (69.36%) from Hambantota District while the UNP won only 2,789 votes. The DNA, which included the JVP, won 1284 votes (9.60%) in 2010.

This marks a significant increase of the UNP vote share while the UPFA has shown a marked decrease.

Hambantota is the native district of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Three members of the Rajapaksa family are contesting the election from the district.

The first electorate-level result was released from Galle Electorate a short while ago.

The UNP carried the electorate with 33,798 votes (57.61%) while the UPFA won only 19,613 votes (33.43%). The JVP also received 4,777 votes.

In 2010, the UPFA UPFA won the Galle Electorate with 20,348 votes (50.08%) while the UNP won 14,804 votes.

The UNP won the Trincomalee District postal votes by polling 5,212 votes (48.79%) at the 2015 General Election.

The UPFA received 2,894 votes (27.08%) while the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi received 2,099 votes (19.64%).

This marks a gain by the UNP compared to the 2010 General Election. In 2010, the UPFA won the Trincomalee postal votes with 7,487 postal votes (65.84%) and the UNP received only 2,074 votes.

The ITAK also marked a slight increase of its vote share. In 2010,it polled 1,306 votes (11.49%)

The first election result of the General Election 2015 shows a marked gain by both the UNP and the JVP.

The UPFA won the postal votes with 11,368 votes at 49.89 percent. The UNP won 9,673 while the JVP received 1,808 votes.

Meanwhile the Democratic Party led by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka won just 58 postal votes from Ratnapura.

In 2010, the UPFA won 11, 315 votes (75.16%) while the UNP received only 3,010 postal votes from Ratnapura. The DNA, which included the JVP, received just 696 votes in 2010 General Election.

Nimal Siripala de Silva today stated that the President will decide on who will become the Prime Minister of the next parliament.

He made this statement earlier today, speaking after casting his vote in Badulla.

De Silva had earlier supported the naming of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM if the UPFA wins the election.

At a recent meeting, he said that he sacrificed his position of Prime Minister to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

On Friday (14) de Silva signed the letter sent by six senior SLFP members expressing their support for Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed confidence in election victory today when he spoke to media after voting at Medamulana D.A. Rajapaksa Vidyalaya.

He said that he had gathered information through telephone from around the country, including from Kurunegala, and the reports were favorable.

Rjapaksa said that he was confident of winning 117 seats in the election.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said that the counting of postal votes has already begun.

Speaking at a special press conference convened at the Elections Secretariat a short while ago, Deshapriya said that it will be a bonus if postal election results are released before midnight.

The General Election was conducted peacefully, Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said a short while ago at a press conference held at Elections Secretariat.

Deshapriya said that the reports filed by Assistant Elections Commissioners and the police did not mention any serious incidents.

He also said that there were complaints on minor incidents.

Deshapriya maintained that the rumors on alleged counting irregularities, including claims that the counting is done by computers, are all false.

The polling closed for the 2015 General Election at 4.00pm today.

More than 60 percent of the eligible voters casted their votes according to reports across most of the district.

The election was held across 22 Electoral Districts to elect the next parliament. 196 members will be elected through the vote while 29 will be selected from the national list.