**Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that his overwhelming victory in presidential elections on Wednesday was an answer to his critics.**The president won six million votes compared to the four million cast for his main rival, Gen Sarath Fonseka.
Gen Fonseka has rejected the results and vowed to challenge them in court.
India congratulated the president on his victory, but the United States said it was “withholding judgement” on the result of the poll.
“The overwhelming mandate given in this election has given the answer to these critics,” President Rajapaksa said in a statement.
In pictures: President wins election
“The people of Sri Lanka, democratically and very clearly, have shown that they are now free of threats, free of fear, free of terrorism - and they have shown they support the measures which have freed them.”
Mr Rajapaksa told reporters that he would start by focusing on the economic development of the country.
He also promised to focus on the concerns of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority and discuss devolution of power - a subject his opponents have accused him of failing to address.
“From today onward, I am the president of everyone, whether they voted for me or not.”
Analysts had predicted a closely-fought contest between the two architects of the government’s victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels last year.
But President Rajapaksa captured 57% of the vote in Tuesday’s polling, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%, according to the election commission.
Gen Fonseka has complained that the vote was unfair and that his supporters were threatened and intimidated.
Some 70% of Sri Lanka’s 14 million-strong electorate turned out to vote. However, turnout in the Tamil areas in the north-east, where the fiercest fighting occurred during the conflict, was less than 30%.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Mr Rajapaksa, saying he was confident “Sri Lanka will find lasting peace, where all communities can live with dignity and in harmony.”