Sri Lanka's incumbent president has been re-elected, state television has declared, but his main challenger has refused to accept the results.

Ahead of official votes being declared the country's electoral commission said Mahinda Rajapaksa had won 4.99 million votes to the 3.39 million votes of his nearest rival General Sarath Fonseka, the former head of the army.

With 85 per cent of the votes counted, Mr Rajapaksa is within touching distance of becoming Sri Lanka's first peacetime president in almost two and a half decades.

Last May the country's 26-year civil war ended with the military destruction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the island's north.

But Gen Fonseka has challenged the results of the election, alleging widespread vote-rigging.

Tensions are rising in the capital Colombo after the hotel where Gen Fonseka is staying was surrounded by around 100 troops.

Gen Fonseka, credited by many in Sri Lanka for ending the war, has claimed the troops had been ordered to arrest him in the event of his victory or challenging of the results.

But the army said they were investigating reports of hundreds of deserters taking refuge in the hotel.
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