Sri Lankan President Seeks Third Term in Close Election

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa prepares to cast his vote for presidential elections at a polling station in Tangalle, about 150 kilometers southeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 8, 2015.

Supporters of Sri Lanka's main opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena set off firecrackers in front of his campaign poster at the end of voting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 8, 2015. 

A Sri Lankan police officer stands guard at a polling station during the presidential elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 8, 2015. 

A Sri Lankan polling officer carries a ballot box towards a polling station on the eve of the presidential elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 7, 2015. 

Sri Lanka's main opposition presidential candidate Mithripala Sirisena gets his finger marked with indelible ink after casting his vote at a polling station in Polonnaruwa, about 200 kilometers northeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 15, 2015.