Hakeem says his victory was stolen by intimidation and vote rigging

In a protest rally in Colombo against alleged malpractices in the recently concluded eastern PC elections, opposition leaders vowed to topple the government in a series of protests.

Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Rauff Hakeem, accused the government of unleashing violence using armed groups to rob the elections.

Vote rigging

He would have won the elections, Mr. Hakeem said, if not for the intimidation and vote rigging by the government supporters.

Thousands of protesters blocked two major roads in Colombo, journalist Gnanasiri Koththigoda reported.

Leader of the United National Party (UNP) and the opposition, Ranil Wickramasinghe, condemned the suicide bomb blast in Colombo on Friday.

He also condemned the killing of a policeman allegedly by the Pillayan group in the east on Friday.

The leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP), Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, sworn in as the Chief Minister of the eastern province on Friday evening.