Movie star-turned premier and now Sri Lanka's victorious presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse has always advocated stronger ties with India and sought a bigger role for New Delhi in the island nation's stalled peace process.
The prime minister, who turned 60 Friday, managed to convince a little more than half voters at Thursday's presidential poll with his mix of tough talking to the Tiger rebels and promising handouts to others.
Rajapakse, who was always considered an astute local politician rather than a national figure, pulled in a little over half the ballots in the Sinhala majority southern areas leaving his main rival, leader of the opposition and former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, behind at the finishing line.
A flamboyant figure, Rajapakse took a huge gamble in allying himself with the island's main Marxist party, the JVP, as a partner in the presidential campaign.
In the run-up to the election, Rajapakse, also a lawyer, called for establishing stronger ties with India politically while stepping up bilateral trade between the two countries.
He specifically referred to the bigger role New Delhi could play in the moribund peace process with the Tamil Tigers, brokered by Norway but sitting on the back burner since direct talks broke down in April 2003.
Promising to review the existing ceasefire between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Rajapakse sought votes, calling for conditional talks with the rebels.
The LTTE immediately dubbed Rajapakse a "war candidate," a label he tried to shrug off saying that his was not the only party that wanted to overhaul the peace effort. Rajapakse, whose macho looks once landed him the lead role in a Sinhalese film "The Immortals," comes from a line of lawyer politicians and has worked as a staunch supporter of human rights causes since the 1990's.
He was conferred with a title and award from the Bhatkande University for his contribution to the arts and culture. As Labour Minister in a People's Alliance government under outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga he made his mark with a progressive workers' charter, which was quietly shelved after objections from employers.
Rajapakse followed in his father's footsteps to enter Parliament from the southern district of Hambantota. He is married to a former beauty queen, Shirani, and they have three school-going sons.
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