The Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has won a second term in office, with a more than one and a half million vote majority.

The president's main rival - and former army commander, General Fonseka, said soldiers had surrounded his hotel in the capital where he was staying and that his security people had been threatened by the military.

A source in the military said Fonseka had been put under watch to ensure he didn't organize a coup.

Between 70 and 80 percent of Sri Lanka's 14 million registered voters turned out for Tuesday's election. Many hope the country will now be able to move forward.

"The elections were held peacefully. Whoever wins or loses the country must be peaceful after the election. The country must develop. That is what is expected. The future development of the country is what we need. We don't want anything else."

The presidential election was the country's first national vote since a 25-year war with Tamil Tiger rebels ended last May.