Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a resounding re-election victory Jan. 27, beating back a challenge from his former army chief, Sarath Fonseka, who rejected the result.

Mahinda Rajapaksa AP PHOTO

The election commission declared Rajapaksa the winner with 57.8 percent of the vote to Fonseka's 40 percent.

On Jan. 29, the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission cited counting irregularities and blatant misuse of state resources by Rajapaksa during the campaign.

Fonseka remains popular with the troops he led to victory over the rebel Tamil Tigers and the government is worried that he may try to rally his former soldiers to fight the election result.