COLOMBO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A 25-percent voter turnout was seen across Sri Lanka till 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, as a presidential election has been underway, election officials said.
According to officials on ground, most districts in the island had seen at least 20 percent to 25 percent turnout in the first three hours since the voting opened at 7:00 a.m.
The Center for Monitoring Election Violence said that till 10:00 a.m., 69 incidents of election violations had been reported across the country. The majority of the violations were illegal campaigning and voter intimidation.
The Elections Commission said voting will end at 5:00 p.m. and urged political parties to ensure a free and fair poll.
A total of 35 candidates are running for presidency and the winner is expected to be announced by Monday.
