Tamil party won in the former war zone

July 24, 2011, updated at 11: 42 GMT Government fought hard to do well in the North of Sri Lanka's largest Tamil party won the local elections in the island in the northern and Eastern war zone.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had 18 of 26 tips on what you are seeing as a weird electoral setback for the Government of President Rajapaksa.

Their coalition dominated by the Sinhalese won in all areas that were contested.

The TNA was in effect a proxy for the Tamil Tigers, troops defeated in May of 2009, but now seeks further return to the provinces of Sri Lanka.

The results indicate that ethnic polarization is still a problem in the country, said Charles Haviland BBC in Colombo.

"Tactics of fear"

The elections were held in a patchwork of tips about Sri Lanka, including mostly Tamil Northern and more ethnically mixed to the East.

The TNA - planned as the main representative of the Tamils in the North and the East - has become more moderate since the end of the war and now accepts that Sri Lanka will remain United with room for separatism.

But wants more transferred powers of President Rajapaksa will agree (a) and the party with him on political reform talks have given so far nothing.

Outside the North and East, each contested Council was taken by the governing coalition.

The Government left the North with Ministers, money, and posters during the campaign - I wanted to do well to ward off international pressure on human rights, says our correspondent.

Civil society groups and Tamil politicians accused the Government of using scare tactics and threats during the campaign.

The Government denied that the Commissioner of elections said that the true day of voting was largely Pacific.

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